MagiMagikarp!
by DarkFlameWarrior
Summary: Kelvin has always wanted to get away from home. His parents, who see him as an incompetent idiot, and don't love him at all, have held him back from a Pokemon journey for two years. He finally gets to go, but starts off with a Magikarp.
1. Humble Beginnings

I still wonder why I started this story. Perhaps it was because I like Magikarp so much, or that everyone seems to shun it for its weakness, the complete helplessness a Magikarp seemed to represent before they could get it to level 15, so it would learn Tackle, and then _finally_ evolve it into a Gyarados. I don't see why it's always _finally_. I enjoy my little cute Magikarp, and this is dedicated to my Magikarp (which evolved, sadly. After all, Gyarados is more useful...).

Note: I won't be using levels. I like letting a Pokemon just have the attacks that it would normally have at that stage (such as a Pikachu would probably already know Thundershock, Quick Attack, Agility, Growl, Thunder Wave, Slam, Double Team, and maybe Thunderbolt), and then slowly add more on, at completely, or maybe not completely, random times. I'm sorry if you don't appreciate that, but that's my way of writing. Thank you. Also, since this fic is about Magikarp, there will probably be things in here you think is impossible for a little Magikarp. Just bear with me. And maybe watch the animated TV series. There are some awesome episodes with little Magikarp in there.

Also, I will be using the TMs and HMs found in Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen.

**Chapter One**

Kelvin watched the small groups of trainers depart from his town, Syra, with great jealousy. Many of his classmates were among those groups, headed off to some to-be great adventure. Meanwhile, _he_ got to stay home, with no one else in his class. His parents wouldn't allow him to go. It was too dangerous, they said, and you aren't able to survive out there. You can't do anything.

If there was a time that Kelvin's parents had praised him, had congratulated him, encouraged him, Kelvin didn't remember. He didn't think that there was such a time that they thought of him more than just the mistake he was, a waste of time, a small pathetic puppy-dog that they didn't need at all. His parents detested him, but they could do nothing about him aside from keep him miserable, and hammer in how useless he was.

It was ironic, Kelvin thought, that the only way they could really be rid of him at the moment was to let him on his journey, and give him a starter Pokemon. But they didn't. They wanted to let him be miserable, and let him watch all of his classmates, who detested him too, leave with their Charmander, Squirtle, or Bulbasaur. It simply wasn't fair. Why did he have to be stuck here?

Kelvin trudged back to his house, likely the largest one on the street. His parents ignored him as he entered, and went up to his room, which was barely eight feet across, and four feet wide. It was more of a closet, a large one, but this was his room, where he kept the few things that he valued: an empty Ultra Ball (which he'd found one day in the river while playing around), the few sets of clothing he even had (which his parents bought him just so he would look presentable), his sleeping bag that he'd slept in ever since he was seven (bough so he could "grow into it"), his Pokedex, which every child had gotten when they'd turned ten (which was already two years ago), whether they went on a journey or not, and about $5,000 (US), which he'd saved up for a long time while running errands for shops.

His Pokedex was a constant reminder of his longing to go on his own journey. Kelvin scanned through the Pokemon, looking at Scyther, which was his favorite. What better way to scare his parents than have such a Pokemon? Those scythes looked sharp enough to be able to slice through the trunks of the great redwoods that grew around his town.

A bell rang: the signal for dinner. His parents never called him to dinner. They simply put out his plate, with the little food they expected him to eat, and let him come and eat it. They never said anything to him either, unless he left some food still on the plate. Then, they would snap at him to finish his meal, and not waste money.

It was no different. Except Kelvin ate slowly, fuming that his parents wouldn't let him go. It just wasn't fair...

"It's not fair!" Kelvin shouted, startling both his parents. "Why won't you let me just go? If you think that I'm just a waste of your time, why don't you just let me get out of here?"

Both of them stared at him, and then his father answered. "Because you won't know what to do out there anyway."

"No, that's not it," Kelvin retorted, with much disrespect to his parents. "You just want to keep me away from what I like, that's it. Well, if you think that I'm going to be such a failure as a trainer, why don't you just let me be one, and the have a party when I die?!"

He'd gone overboard; the anger that had been building up since the day that his father had announced he wasn't going finally exploded out of him. His father's mouth hung open. His mother screeched at him.

"How dare you!" she screamed. "We do this just so you can live your pathetic little life, and _this_ is how you decide to repay us? You are more despicable then I thought, you worm!"

Kelvin glared. "And you are the worst people that I've ever met. I don't want to stay here anymore. I'm _leaving._ And I want a _starter_. I want to get _out_!!!!"

There was a long moment of silence after that. Then, his father gathered up his wits.

"Very well. We'll get you a starter," his father said calmly.

Kelvin almost cheered. After all, he'd just gotten what he'd wanted.

He did not see the sly glance that passed between his parents.

* * *

When his parents handed him the Pokeball containing his starter, Kelvin couldn't wait. He was bursting inside to start his journey, and was already packed, having done so last night. Kelvin had gotten almost no sleep, due to his overwhelming excitement, but he didn't feel tired at all. His father saw him off, amazingly, and Kelvin almost sprinted down the road.

When he'd gotten to his favorite spot, the place next to the river that the Ultra Ball had been in, Kelvin released his Pokemon.

It was a male Magikarp.

The orange fish flopped on the ground, panting heavily.

Kelvin stared.

"Er..." What was he supposed to say?

"Magikarp karp karp," the Magikarp panted. "Magikarp karp karp."

The time stretched as Kelvin stared at his starter. Then, as if his mind had suddenly started to work again, Kelvin remembered his Pokedex. Pulling it out, Kelvin checked up on Magikarp.

"Magikarp," the Pokedex said. "The fish Pokemon. Magikarp are said to be almost worthless, until they evolve. Magikarp can withstand waters with high levels of toxicity, and therefore are very hardy."

Well. That wasn't very good...

A _worthless_ Pokemon? How can a Pokemon be worthless? Kelvin thought about it, as his Magikarp panted on the ground, flopping up and down. Then it clicked. Magikarp only knew Splash, a completely worthless move that did nothing, until they learned Tackle, and maybe Flail.

Kelvin fumed. It was just like his parents to give him a supposedly worthless Pokemon. Well, he'd show them. He'd show them what he could really do.

"Hey Magikarp. I'm Kelvin." Kelvin didn't know how to introduce himself to a Pokemon, but it was worth a try. "I'm going to be your trainer now."

Amazingly, the Magikarp actually seemed to be listening. Kelvin didn't know why he knew that the fish was listening, it just seemed to be. Did it stop heaving so much, and stayed a little stiller? Kelvin smiled.

"Magikarp," his Magikarp replied. "Magi magi."

"I think I'll give you a nickname. Is that alright?"

Magikarp nodded. _Nodded_.

"Um... will Kari do?" Kelvin named the only friend that he'd ever had (who'd moved quite a while ago).

Magikarp nodded again, and propelled itself into his arms. Kelvin caught Kari in his arms, and smiled.

"We'll show them what we can do, won't we?"

Kari nodded.

* * *

Kelvin didn't really know how to train his Magikarp. The only attack it knew was Splash, and that was altogether worthless. But he had an idea.

Recently, he'd heard of Magikarp swimming up waterfalls. It was a study made by some professor, and it had caught his interest. And luckily, there were stairs of waterfalls rather close to Syra. If he could have Kari swim up the waterfall, then he could strengthen Kari.

Already, they'd tried three times. Kari hadn't yet made it past the first waterfall, but wasn't giving up. Kelvin was acting the part of the cheerleader. All he was missing was the uniform and the pom-poms.

"C'mon Kari! You can do it! I know you can!" Kelvin yelled, jumping up and down in ecstasy.

Anyway looking at the pair would have thought they were nuts. What were the chances that someone would be cheering on a lowly, little Magikarp? But Kelvin didn't care. He was already seen as "weird" in Syra; a little cheering like this wouldn't hurt his reputation at all.

Kari swam quickly towards the waterfall, his fins and tail working furiously, propelling him through the rough waters against the current. Kelvin cheered him on, watching Kari struggle against the powers of the waterfall, and fail once again. Still, Kari wasn't going to give up. He surged up again, and, with a final leap, finally cleared the first of four waterfalls.

Kelvin whooped, and watched as Kari struggled to not be washed right back over the waterfall he had just climbed. He failed, and was swept back over, but came back to his task with unmatched ferocity. Well, as much ferocity as a small Magikarp as he could manage. Kari wasn't a real small Magikarp, but he wasn't exactly one of the huge one's either. He just fit perfectly in Kelvin's arms.

And Kari was a stubborn Magikarp. Kelvin was a stubborn trainer. And they had similar views, as far as Kelvin could tell, and a similar aim (to prove themselves). No wonder they made such a good pair.

* * *

DarkFlameWarrior: Well, there's the first chapter. Thanks if you're reading this, even if you don't like it that much and anything. I just hope you like it. But anyway, please tell me how you think it is (even if you think that it's not good), and if you're nice enough, point out mistakes I might have overlooked... and things you need clarified. I'm not very perfect, not at all. And read my profile too. Thanks! 


	2. Fear Fearow

Thanks to all the people that kindly took the time to read "MagiMagikarp!" and review my story. I'm rather flattered... but let's not get there. Of course, I will continue this story. Kelvin would be most disappointed if I didn't.

AzureF: Well, I'm sure I'm not the only one that's thought of this idea. There are many Poke'fans in the world, after all. What are the chances that this is an entirely new idea? But I suppose that this is a new way to show it.

Negrek: I suppose the "parent hate kid" relationship isn't that well spelled out. It's really just that they didn't want to have Kelvin, and try to keep him unhappy. And I suppose they're not like real people... but you won't be seeing them for a while. And when you do, I have a lovely surprise in store for them.

(asterik): You're not the only one that does buy the Magikarp. Although I do prefer saving money.

PyroArts: Heh, if I'd been doing a parody of the old routine, I'd have gotten Bulbasaur. It's more than logical. And I like Bulbasaur more than Charmander.

tea: Well, if you started with only a Level 5 Magikarp, that'd be pretty horrible. But Magikarp are just so cute!

DragonMaster3000: Thanks. I suppose it's a little sweet, yes, but I didn't intend it to be that way. About the story... don't despair if I take a while. After all, your stories aren't exactly short, and I like reviewing at the end of the story.

Matthias 251: James wasn't as lucky, seeing how his Magikarp evolved into a Gyarados before long... Kelvin and James ought to make an acquaintance. Might do them some good.

airfaerieangel: Do I know you? Yes...heh... you actually read this?!

OH, and did any of you notice that in the first chapter, the name of the story is "Magikarp" and not "MagiMagikarp!"?

* * *

**MagiMagikarp!**

**Chapter Two**

The fire dimmed, and died down. Wind howled through the treetops and around the clearing that Kelvin had decided to camp in, due to its closeness to the waterfall, and the fact that there were many small bluk berry patches around. It was obvious that he'd been eating them. Kari had eaten some too, but not much.

That worried Kelvin. He didn't know what Pokemon ate, and obviously less about what Kari ate. It might be smarter for him to head back to town, or to the next one, and acquire some things, such as Pokeballs, potions, food, and a map.

Another problem. Kelvin had no idea where in the world the next town was. And he knew for sure that Syra's people wouldn't bother giving him a map. And he didn't know how to read the map anyway... how sad.

Kari was sleeping in a small pool close to the clearing. It was close enough that Kelvin could make out Kari's outline in the darkness. The Magikarp was bobbing up and down slowly, and was apparently asleep.

_Well, he might have the right idea,_ Kelvin thought to himself. _I won't be able to do anything if I don't get some sleep_.

* * *

A Fearow's cry rent the air. Kelvin woke, startled, just in time to see the bird Pokemon snatch Kari from the pool, and start to fly off. 

Grabbing his sleeping back, Kelvin chased after the bird. "Let my Magikarp go, you birdbrain!" he yelled, unable to do much besides watch and follow, and, due to his lack of attention, nearly ran into the river. The Fearow didn't notice him, but seemed to be losing air. Kari was more than a fourth of the birds weight, after all, and the wings could only carry so much...

Then, as Kelvin watched, Kari started flailing. Not really flailing, Kelvin realized. The Magikarp was trying to attack the Fearow. The tail thrashed violently, and the fins whacked at the claws that held him. The Fearow's flight swerved, affected by the Magikarp's antics.

Kelvin dropped his bag, picked up a good-sized stone from the floor, and threw it hard at the Fearow, aiming for the head. As it was, the stone hit the wing with a sharp _crack_ and the Fearow spiraled down, flapping its other wing furiously, Kari smacking against the bird's stomach in anger.

When they hit the ground, Kelvin ran towards the two, to get Kari to safety. But the Magikarp had other ideas.

Raising himself on his fins, Kari slammed himself into the Fearow. The Flying type pecked at him, the sharp jabs rebounding off Kari's tough skin (or exoskeleton. I'm not very sure.). Kelvin advanced, using his sleeping back flail at the bird.

Kari's attacks were a lot more lethal than Kelvin had thought, because the bird Pokemon slumped after a while, fainted. Kelvin stared. Was he imagining things, or had Kari just defeated a _Fearow_? He pinched himself.

"OUCH!"

Well. He wasn't dreaming then.

Kari had pushed himself up on his fins, surprisingly sturdy. Kelvin scooped the fish into his arms, examining the small, tiny claw marks that were proof of the Fearow's grip. Turning back to the bird, Kelvin contemplated catching it.

He could, by all means, but he only had an Ultra Ball. Kelvin didn't know whether or not the Fearow was worth it. But it was injured badly. The rock that he'd thrown might have broken the bird's wing.

Shrugging, Kelvin tossed the Ultra Ball at the Flying type. The high-quality ball easily caught the bird.

Setting Kari down, Kelvin picked up the Ultra Ball, and turned it to its smaller form, before sticking it in his pocket, out of lack of nowhere else to put it. Then, he picked up Kari again.

"You think we should train more? Make it to the top of the waterfall?"

Kari seemed to think. Then, the Magikarp shook, signaling a "no".

"I guess we should find the next city, huh?"

A nod. Kari squirmed, and splashed into the river nearby. Bobbing at the surface, Kari started swimming upriver.

_He wants me to follow_, Kelvin realized, intrigued. _He knows the next city?_

It was possible. Not likely, but possible. It wasn't like Kelvin had any time to waste pondering what else Kari might be doing, such as leading him to some ancient place of the Magikarp (and what were the chances of that anyway?).

Walking along the bank, watching Kari fight against the strong current, his strong fins and tail propelling him forward, despite the force he was swimming against. Kelvin noted this with a certain air of pride. The entire day spent trying to swim up the waterfall had not been to waste.

Even so, it was already high noon when Kelvin noticed a building, probably from a city nearby, and scooped Kari out of the river. The Magikarp perched on his fins, gasping for breath with "Magikarp karp karp"s. Kelvin recalled Kari to his Pokeball. There was no point in leaving him outside and suffer on the land, though he wasn't sure whether Kari was suffering. Either way, Kari needed rest. They'd gone rather far, after all.

Sprinting into the direction of the building, Kelvin found himself in Pyra, sister city to Syra, despite the fact that the two cities were well rivals. In the contest to become better, Syra was losing miserably; Pyra had a Gym already, and the well-needed Pokemon center. A Poke'Mart, painted in bright colors, and sporting a "Grand Opening!" sign was next to the Pokemon Center. The tall building was behind it.

Going into the Pokemon Center, Kelvin was greeted by a pink-haired woman. "Hello," she said. "Welcome to the Pokemon Center. I am Nurse Joy. May I help you?"

"Well, yes ma'am. I caught a Fearow along the way, and I think that its wing might have been broken. Can you take a look?" Kelvin took out the Ultra Ball.

"Sure. Let me see." Nurse Joy took Fearow's Ultra Ball, and released the bird. The Fearow emerged, cawing its challenge weakly.

"Yes, the wing is broken," Nurse Joy confirmed. "Chansey!"

A round, pink Pokemon rolling a stretcher came up. The Chansey easily put the weak Fearow onto the stretcher, and wheeled it into a nearby room.

"Um, Nurse? Is there anywhere I can let my Magikarp rest?"

Nurse Joy looked at him. "A Magikarp? Well, there's a tank where Chansey's taking Fearow. I'm sure your Magikarp can rest there."

"Thanks. Can I stay for a while?"

"Of course."

Kelvin followed Nurse Joy into what looked much like a hospital hall. Some of the other beds were filled with Pokemon. There was a Sandshrew on the near bed, and a Nidorina on another. At the back wall was a big tank, in which rested a Goldeen and a Seadra.

Certain that his Fearow was in good hands, Kelvin released Kari into the tank. The Magikarp looked around at his surroundings, and then closed his large eyes, bobbing gently at the middle of the tank. Kelvin watched the Goldeen look quickly at Kari, assessing the Magikarp, and go back to sleep.

Not so with the Seadra. The dangerous sea horse seemed to glare at Kari. Kelvin gulped. That was not a good sign...

The Seadra spotted him, and seemed to rethink. It went to the corner, and went to rest. Kelvin breathed out a sigh of relief.

"The Seadra giving you trouble?" Nurse Joy asked. "That one's stubborn. I'm taking care of it for a while. When it fully recovers, it's going back to the lake it came from."

That explained why the Seadra had seemed so hostile. It hadn't been trainer by a trainer, and probably didn't feel comfortable here. Presence of stranger Pokemon and trainer must have put it on an edge.

"How's Fearow?" Kelvin asked. "Is it going to be okay?"

"Yes," Nurse Joy replied. "It might be best for it not to battle for a while, but it should be just fine."

"That's good."

"By the way, you haven't informed me of your name."

Kelvin flushed. How rude of him! "Kelvin."

Nurse Joy looked at him carefully. "A beginning trainer?"

"Yeah." Kelvin sighed. "Just started yesterday..."

"Really? That is interesting! And you've already caught a Fearow and a Magikarp?"

"Well, no. The Magikarp was my starter."

Nurse Joy looked incredulously at him. "You're not kidding me?" she asked in an awed voice. "I have yet to see someone have a Magikarp starter. Are you sure?"

"I'm not joking. I guess my parents didn't want me to really do well or anything. They don't like me." Kelvin peered back at the tank. "Kari's my starter. I was training him by the waterfall. I'm sure he's more than what meets the eye."

"He must be, to have helped you catch a Fearow."

"I was surprised too. I didn't know how strong Kari had become after swimming up the waterfall so many times."

Nurse Joy smiled. "Of course. That's something that most wild Magikarp do anyway. Smart way to train him."

"He made it past the first two in a stair waterfall I saw." Kelvin grinned. "I'm proud of him. And I'm sure that Kari knows what I want. I want to prove to myself and my parents that I can be a Pokemon trainer, no matter what they think of me, and what they say. And I'm sure I'm doing okay so far."

Kari opened his eyes, and bobbed his head up and down, as if to agree. No, in agreement. Kelvin was sure that Pokemon understood every word that came from his mouth, as long as he meant what he said.

"'k, Kari. We'll wait until Fearow's healed, and then we're going to go train some more. That fine with you?" Kari nodded. "Good. I'm going to go to the Poke'Mart for a while. I'll be back before long, I promise."

At the Mart, Kelvin managed to buy a few Pokeballs and Potions. He wasn't sure what else he needed. Paying with his own allowance, Kelvin exited, and quickly ran back to the Pokemon center.

Nurse Joy was waiting for him. "I just realized something. You have a Pokedex? I see. Well, it may need more programming. Just give me some information, and I'll program it for you."

Kelvin told her the required fields, and then took the Pokedex back. It showed his profile, with Kari and Fearow listed as his Pokemon. Another thing was inside the Pokedex.

"That's your Trainer Card. It's just to let other trainers have a slight insight on what you're like and things like that."

"Ok. Thanks, Nurse Joy."

"No problem." The nurse retreated to a room, one of many, and Kelvin went to the hall to check on Kari. The Magikarp greeted him with a wag of its tail.

"I hope you're doing fine, Kari," Kelvin told the Magikarp.

The Seadra was gone. Apparently, had been deemed "healed", and returned to its lake. That relieved Kelvin more. At least Kari wouldn't have any more trouble. The Goldeen seemed nice enough.

A sudden rumble of his stomach reminded Kelvin of what time it was. "Er...," he said. Kari bobbed, in a motion that Kelvin could bet was laughing. "Hey, that's not nice, Kari. Aren't you hungry?"

Kari shook his head, and indicated the container of fish food. Kelvin pretended to glare. "Well, I'm going to find something to eat. See ya."

* * *

DarkFlameWarrior: Not a great place to stop. I hope it was okay for all of you. Maybe a little boring, this chapter, but it can't be helped that much, I suppose. Well, tell me what you think, okay? 


	3. Aria and Food

I'm surprised at how many review's I'm getting so far.

Facia: Thanks for pointing out the mistakes. Yes, he did have a Pokedex, I fixed that now. My hindsight is something that I dislike, but I'm glad you pointed it out. I'm starting to think that Kari is really cute. Although I already thought Magikarp were cute. What I meant about Syra was that the people don't like him, and wouldn't want to help him. It's not outlined really well, I suppose. Sorry about that. If I were in Kelvin's position, a new trainer, I probably wouldn't have remembered about recalling Pokemon. Then again, I would be rather dense as a trainer. Sorry about the exoskeleton thingy, I just didn't want to make a mistake about that, and I couldn't decide. Maybe I should call it plate armor? I suppose it was a battle, although not a real one by any means, because Kelvin joined in, and he wasn't commanding Kari.

WednesdayLove: Thanks for adding a new tool to my rather small assortment of writing tools. I'm not that experienced a writer, and I suppose it is hard to read like that. I'm too used to writing essays. sigh My last Language Arts teacher made us write _way_ too many essays. But using flashbacks will come it handy, as long as I can make them comprehensible. Don't worry, I know the difference between a flame and a critique. Someone else that reviewed one of my friends didn't, though. That person more of gave my friend an _insult_. It might not be that long, since I'm not prone to those, but I suppose I could make it longer, and add in more description and flashbacks and things that will add to the story better.

Black UTAHRAPTOR: Magikarp isn't that rare a topic, but I think that it's a good place to start a story with a struggle.

**MagiMagikarp!**

**Chapter Three**

Kelvin cursed with the worst curses that he knew. If he'd been any smarter, he'd have asked Nurse Joy what kind of restaurant was good for him to go to. A kind of restaurant that didn't shun him because he came from Syra, the small, not-as-academic, not-as-famous town not so far from here. It was stupid, of course, to go around being biased against people because of where they came from, but here he was, in "Silver Branches", a rather weird restaurant that was segregated with "People of Pyra" and "Strangers" sections. Needless to say, he was the only one sitting in the "Strangers" section. Other people probably had been warned.

The waiter, who was listening to music, barely gave him any attention. Kelvin had to shout so the waiter would actually pay attention. The reason for the waiter's apparent "deafness" was obvious; Kelvin could hear the music through the headphones. It was rather annoying, and had a very bad tune.

The food he got was mediocre, Kelvin supposed, but it didn't look really good. The food was cooked in brown sauce, on brown plates, and the tablecloth was brown. The silverware was still silver, but it was dirty, and the cup, which was tinted brown, held a brown drink that Kelvin hadn't yet touched. The floor on the "Strangers" side was brown, the chairs were brown, walls, and curtains, just about everything were brown, right up to the food, and the flowers and vase in the middle of the table.

The plates were at least white, or they _had_ been white. They were rather grey now, and Kelvin didn't think that was any different from brown. It wasn't like it helped in the fact that everything here seemed to be made of dung.

Unlike what it looked like on the "People of Pyra" side. _That_ part was elaborate, with rich carpeting, white tablecloths, and real-looking food. Kelvin sighed. Next time he'd know better.

Finishing his meal, Kelvin paid for his meal, and exited the restaurant. He should go check up on Kari now. It was about an hour since he'd left anyway. Kelvin started, at a fast walk, toward the Pokemon Center.

He was stopped by Officer Jenny. "Hold it right there," she said. "I haven't seen you around here before. What might you be doing here?"

_Interesting,_ Kelvin thought. _Doesn't this town know that trainers will seek the Gym?_

"Er, I'm going back to the Pokemon Center to pick up my Pokemon," Kelvin replied.

Officer Jenny looked over him closely. "Alright, but I've got my eye on you. You seem rather suspicious to me."

_Huh?!_ Kelvin thought, as he continued down the street to the Pokemon Center. _That encounter made absolutely no sense to me_.

Then again, Kelvin's only encounter with an officer had been back in Syra, during the supposed "field trip" to the police office, where the students learned all these weird, useless things.

_(Six years ago, when Kelvin was 7 years old)_

"This is the police station. I mean office. Station. Office. Whatever," the guide stated. "Anyway, here are the cells. They are where the bad people go. Here, maybe you can go into the cell, and see what its like."

"I wouldn't advise that," Officer Paullina told the guide. "It may not be a good idea to mix the young children with proven convicts."

Kelvin had no idea what that meant. Undaunted, the guide replied, "Don't worry. It should be okay." With that, he pushed Kelvin into one of the cells, along with Kari, a slender, blonde boy. Kari's blue eyes were surprised.

"What is he doing?" Kari asked.

"I don't know," Kelvin replied. "I'm scared, Kari."

The guide entered behind him. "Ah, look. Here is a person that has been convicted of... hmm... theft, I believe. And murder. He's killed three people--"

Kelvin gave a squeak, and hid behind Kari. The ironic thing was that there were exactly three people in the cell right now...

"And simply used brute strength to kill his victims, so they had to restrain him using all these strong restraints."

Was it just him, or were those _restraints_ cracked and...

With a scream, Kelvin dashed out of the cell. Kari backed out, the terror showing in his eyes. "Um, Mister, I don't think it's a good idea to--"

Too late

_(End flashback)_

Kelvin shivered. He didn't want to remember that. Kari and him had been okay, but the guide...

Finding the Pokemon Center, Kelvin entered, and checked up on Kari-the-Magikarp. Kari greeted him by blowing bubbles this time, apparently something he'd learned from the Goldeen in the tank. Interesting.

"Hey there. You've been learning new tricks?" Kelvin smiled affectionately. It hadn't been very long since he'd first acquired Kari, but he already felt a bond with the Magikarp. "Would it prove useful in battle?"

For an answer, Kari tilted sideways and then back to his original position, in something that seemed to be a shrug. Kelvin laughed. "Alright. Maybe you can ask the Goldeen to teach you an offensive move that will do you some good in battle."

Kari nodded, and swam towards the Goldeen, who didn't take too well to being disturbed, but seemed docile enough. Kelvin watched the two Pokemon seem to converse for a while, and then turned his attention to Fearow.

The bird Pokemon was up, watching him carefully and warily. Evidently, the Pokemon didn't trust him yet. Kelvin approached the bird slowly, trying to show it that he wasn't going to do anything bad.

"Hey, Fearow. Are you better?"

Fearow cocked its head to one side, as if contemplating him.

"Is your wing better?"

The bird Pokemon lifted its wings, attempting an intimidating stance, which failed. Kelvin chuckled, drawing close enough to stroke the Fearow's feathers. The bird stiffened, then slowly relaxed under Kelvin's ministerings.

"It's alright, Fearow. I won't hurt you," Kelvin murmured. Fearow regarded him with a fierce eye.

Kelvin spent some time with Fearow, occasionally looking towards the tank. Kari and the Goldeen seemed to be doing some weird wriggling thing in the water, but Kelvin couldn't tell what it was. He didn't know much about water Pokemon, anyway; so wriggling around might be more useful than it looked. At least the Goldeen seemed pretty friendly. Or maybe it was lonely.

Fearow seemed to have relaxed. It... pardon, _she_ seemed to be enjoying Kelvin's careful petting. Kelvin wondered what he should call his new Fearow. After all, he didn't think yelling "Hey, Fearow!" would be good.

"Um, Fearow, would you mind if I gave you a name?" Kelvin asked tentatively. "I really don't want to call you just 'Fearow'. Maybe... Mavis?"

Fearow cocked her head to one side.

"Or Aria?"

What would fit a Fearow anyway?

The newly name Aria nodded, and poked him gently with her beak, making motions that clearly showed that she was hungry.

"Heh, didn't you just eat?"

Aria shook her head. Kelvin got up. "I'll find something."

Running out of the room, he crashed into Nurse Joy, who demanded why in the world he was _running_ in the Pokemon Center. Kelvin asked where the food was.

"In the kitchen, of course."

Of course. Kelvin found his way to the kitchen, took a small box of Pokemon food, and an apple for himself. Sticking the apple into his mouth, Kelvin went back to the hallway where the Pokemon were resting.

Aria snaked her head forward, and snagged a piece of Pokemon food from the box before Kelvin set it down within her reach, and took the apple out of his mouth so he could properly eat it. "Enjoy. I'm going to see how Kari's doing."

Kari was just fine. He splashed at Kelvin's arrival, sending water over the top of the tank. Goldeen had retreated to the corner, and seemed to be dozing again. Kelvin wondered how wild Goldeen would get their sleep. It wasn't exactly _safe_ just to lie down on the bottom and doze, was it?

Bemused, Kelvin didn't notice Kari splashing more until some of the water fell on him, startling him back to reality. "Hey, that's not nice, Kari!" he reprimanded, to not much effect. Kari seemed to grin at him, teasing him.

Kelvin sighed, and found his way to one of the rooms in the Pokemon Center, where his backpack was. He really needed this rest.

………

DarkFlameWarrior: So, how do you guys like that? It's okay? Still boring? Don't worry, Aria's getting healed quickly, so next chapter should have more action.


	4. Arielle

Heyla! Sorry to all the people that I didn't reply their review to...

Reviews (2 cont, and 3)

Black UTAHRAPTOR: Thanks. You think I'll tell you if he's going to evolve? Keep reading and find out!

skyzero: I'm not a fan of TMs that much, since wild Pokemon can't learn TMs unless they normally learn the move. Although... I don't think Kelvin even has enough money to buy TMs. Er... and it's just what he's earned... I guess. Doesn't make sense, does it?

Shinjiku: Thanks. I think I'll need the luck. And I don't use the "level system". I don't find it very consistent, and it's rather annoying to use.

tea: yes, he'll use Fearow.

Negrek: Erm... he's generally disliked...

DragonMaster3000: Yes, that's rather common knowledge... or maybe it's just because I like reading the strategy guides and all, but I knew that...

**MagiMagikarp!**

**Chapter Four**

Nurse Joy had confirmed that Aria's wing was useable, although she shouldn't put much strain on it, and that Kari was in very good condition. Kelvin thanked her, recalled his Pokemon to their Pokeballs, and exited, walking down the street towards the forest.

He'd overheard, from people that had rushed into the Pokemon Center, than there was a large stepping (like a staircase) waterfall around here, and they'd accidentally gone over the edge. Of course, that would be a great place to train Kari more. It couldn't be too far from here.

Ambling around, Kelvin found a rapid river, and followed along its bank, hoping that this would lead to the waterfall. There were many rocks in the river, and Kelvin was sure that there were creatures lurking under the surface. Once, he saw a Seaking that leapt over one of the rocks, but it quickly submerged before he could react. In the air, a Pidgeotto swooped down to catch fish. And Spearows called from the treetops, with bone-chilling shrills that unnerved Kelvin to no end.

Kelvin stopped short. The river simply ended in a large lake, one that was slightly lower than the river, in a mini-waterfall. The surface of the lake was swirling, slowly, but the water was rather clear, since there wasn't so much white foam spray like there was in the river. Dark shapes swam in the water. Kelvin was sure that he wouldn't want to be caught in there by accident...

However, the place had a nice view, and Kelvin rather thought that his Pokemon would appreciate some fresh air. Calling them out, Kelvin watched Kari flop into the water. Kelvin wasn't worried about him. Kari was close enough to the edge that nothing would really bother him.

Aria stretched her wings, slowly, and then flapped them experimentally. Kelvin had told her not to strain them, so she obviously knew, but Aria yearned to fly again. Since he wasn't an expert on birds, Kelvin didn't know how much strain flying would put on her wing, so he'd told her not to fly unless it was in dire need.

Kelvin dug into his small backpack, taking out a small can of Pokemon food. Aria eyed it, and caught the first piece that Kelvin tossed her, much like a dog catching a treat in midair. Kari leapt into the air to catch the other one. Kelvin laughed. This was fun, playing with his Pokemon.

"Feaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarow!" Aria screeched, beating her wings, and to the right. Kelvin followed her gaze, and gasped.

Beedrill.

Not just one, but an entire swarm...

Gathering Kari in his arms, Kelvin snatched his items, and ran, hearing Aria take to the air behind him. This was sure a situation of dire need...

Racing into the forest, not knowing where he was going, Kelvin saw Aria fly ahead, up in the sky, low enough for them to see each other. Some Beedrill were following her, but he could still hear the buzz of many behind him. Kari was still, trying to be as less of a hindrance as possible.

Run run run. Kelvin was used to running, but even this stretched his limits, as he ran on and on, the dreadful buzzing of Beedrill wings chasing him. Fear only acted as an accelerator, and Kelvin pounded through the vegetation with little regard as to what he stepped in, as long as he didn't slip. _Pant pant pant_. Water, must need water...

_Konk!_

Something hit Kelvin on the head, and he dropped down, stunned. Kari wriggled out of his grasp, and smacked into the first Beedrill that came upon him. Aria shrilled a challenge from the sky, and swooped down to protect her trainer.

Kelvin stared at the thing that had fallen on his head.

It was a green cocoon, with a sort of nose. Kelvin shakily took out his Pokedex.

_"Metapod. The Cocoon Pokemon. Inside its hard shell, Metapod's body is soft and vulnerable as it prepares for its further evolution; it generally remains motionless, but a hard impact may cause it to pop out of its shell."_

This Metapod was far from motionless. Like Kari, it was attacking the Beedrill that attempted a strike at him. Aria was using some peck-like attack. Well, Kelvin would say that it was probably Drill Peck, since her beak was spinning, and it was more lethal than he'd imagine. Kari was succeeding in knocking the Beedrill back, and now, joined by the Metapod, they were forcing the Beedrill to retreat. The Bug Pokemon buzzed angrily, before flying off, leaving a few lying on the ground from too many hits.

Metapod crashed to the floor, and lay still. Kari flopped up and down, in a sort of victory dance, while Aria landed, folding her large, regal wings. Kelvin got up, and examined the Metapod. It seemed weak, and Kelvin wasn't sure he should leave it here...

Taking out a Pokeball, Kelvin pressed it against the cocoon Pokemon. Metapod was converted to red energy, and sucked into the ball.

"Well... Aria, where does the closest city lie, anyway?"

The Fearow took to the air, her head snaking around to look. Then, she winged off. Kelvin picked Kari up, and followed her.

It took a while to get to the nearest city, one that Kelvin didn't even know. But an elderly woman warmly greeted him.

"Hello, there, young trainer! I see that you have a Fearow and a Magikarp! They're lovely."

"Err, thanks. Could you please tell me where the Pokemon Center might be?" Kelvin asked.

"Oh, sure. It's just down the street. You can't miss it."

Thanking the elderly woman, Kelvin dashed down the street, passing shops and various people, all of whom seemed to have Pokemon riding around on their shoulders or in their arms. Aria had taken to the air, and was flying low, but not low enough to be caught in the jumble of the street. Kelvin glanced upward towards her often, and quickly glanced back to watch his way.

At the end of the busy, and thankfully not very long, street, the huge Pokemon Center loomed into sight. It had a large, domed roof, blue and red, with a big red "P" marking it as what it was. The automatic doors slid quietly open as he entered. Aria landed behind him, and stalked through.

Nurse Joy was busy, supposedly, because someone that wore the uniform of a nurse greeted Kelvin. Her nametag read: Sharia –Nurse in Training. She smiled.

"May I help you, mister?" Sharia asked.

Kelvin transferred Kari to one arm, and with the other, took out the Pokeball that held his new Metapod. "Well, I found this Metapod. I think that it's quite hurt, because it got attacked by Beedrill. Can you help it?"

"Of course." Sharia took the Pokeball, and transferred it to some mechanical device that Kelvin had never seen before. The screen started showing statistics. "Well, it was poisoned by one of the Beedrill, but its Shed Skin ability took care of that. Now it's just low on hit points, and exhausted. A good rest will do the trick." She removed the ball, and called in a Chansey. The pink Pokemon, rolling a stretcher, took Metapod away.

Kelvin watched the Chansey go, then sat down on one of the various chairs, setting Kari down on the chair next to him, and watching Aria explore the reception room carefully, craning her neck to see in difficult places. Kari seemed very inactive, and constantly mumbled, "Magimagi." Kelvin, not knowing what to do, took out some Pokemon food, and gave it to Kari. Upon seeing that, Aria stalked over, her beak open, demanding _her_ food. Kelvin laughed, and gave it to her.

Then, after his Pokemon were satiated, he took out a small sandwich he'd managed to buy, and took a bite out of it. It was rather good, at least better than any sandwich he'd tasted before, and he saved half of it for next time. After all, he didn't know when he'd need anything.

That done, Kelvin resorted to talking to his Pokemon, and telling them an old story that Kari-the-human had once told him, of a Caterpie that wanted to fly. It took a while, and before he could finish it while keeping in all the elaborate details that he could remember Kari telling him, Nurse Joy came out, and told him that Metapod was a lot better already, and he could see it.

The trio entered, to see Metapod just sitting on the bed, like a statue. Well, what did they expect anyway?

It happened to be a female Metapod, so what should he call it?

"Would you like a name?"

The Metapod looked at him, and remained motionless. Kelvin sighed.

"Can I call you something?"

Metapod was a still as a statue.

"Arielle."

No reaction.

"Well, Arielle it is. Nice to see you on the team. And thanks for helping to fend off the Beedrill." Kelvin wondered if this situation was embarrassing, but he didn't care. Now, he had a Metapod.

* * *

DarkFlameWarrior: Heh, no, the Metapod is not original, but there's a reason that Arielle is one of the team. It's not the anime! I have my own reason, and seeing how I like Butterfree more than Beedrill, I chose a Metapod. And yes, Arielle will evolve. 


	5. Graveler and Evolution

Lalalalalala sorry for not updating sooner!

happyham: Kelvin's team isn't very good right now, and I think he has enough sense (unlike other people) not to bite off more than he can chew. Although that's a good question.

**MagiMagikarp!**

**Chapter Five**

Arielle was a very quiet addition to his team, and couldn't exactly... well, _eat_ like his other Pokemon. The Metapod just stood there, or lay there, whenever he called it out. Then again, there wasn't any danger for him to be afraid of. Just the other Pokemon in the Pokemon Center, many of which seemed rather hurt...

The next morning, Nurse Joy proclaimed Arielle good enough to travel, and set Kelvin off on his way, telling him that he was in the city of Azonic. He'd never heard of the city (how could he? It wasn't like it was very famous for anything, and it didn't have a Gym), but the city seemed rather nice. It was one of those cities that seemed to be very plain, and very boring, just a right amount of everything, like shops and restaurants, but nothing that was better than the average.

At least the food was better than that of Pyra! And was a bit cheaper too... Kelvin had no problem buying some travel-food for him and his Pokemon. He also got a nice bag of beef jerky, which Aria _loved_ to no end.

Shopping had never been one of Kelvin's strong points, and he wandered around, looking for things he might have use for. He also didn't have any idea of how he could get some more money. He was unable to battle gyms, since his Pokemon were hardly strong enough, except maybe Aria, and besides, Azonic didn't have a gym. So... how else could he get so dough?

Well, he'd have to worry about that later. Right now, the sun was still high, so he might as well get a move on.

Heading on to the trail (which, thankfully, did not lead to the forest), Kelvin faithfully stayed on the dirt road. Around him, Pokemon ran, flew, and some stopped to watch him pass. Pidgey and Rattata were the most common, of course. Occasionally, he'd spy something from the corner of his eye, but when he turned, it was no longer there.

The dirt path winded through the plains, in a swirling pattern that Kelvin was annoyed about, but he didn't dare stray from the set road. He didn't exactly want to get lost...

_Swish!_

What?

_Grrrr..._

Kelvin didn't have a very good feeling about this...

_ROAR!_

"AHHHHHH!" Kelvin sprinted at top speed, not caring what was behind him, only concentrating on getting away from that...

Waaiiit... what is it anyway?

Kelvin turned to see a mass of grey rock rolling towards him.

"Gahhh!"

Diving to one side, Kelvin watched the rolling Pokemon speed by. His Pokedex beeped.

"Graveler. The rock Pokemon. It rolls down slopes to move. It rolls over any obstacles without slowing or changing its direction."

_It rolls over obstacles..._

Uh-oh...

Kelvin dashed as quickly as he could, not wanting to think about what might happen if he got squished by this big rock Pokemon. Kelvin vaguely noticed that he was gaining momentum, going downhill. Just great.

Behind him, the Rock Pokemon was in full roll, or something like that. Kelvin reached the bottom of the small hill, and kept going, constantly looking behind him. The Graveler stopped rolling, and started running after him.

It was amazingly fast, despite the fact that it was so big and seemed so ponderous. Kelvin noticed it had four arms, and remembered that Golem, its evolved form, only had two. Interesting, since Geodude only had two also. Why, then, would it grow two more arms in evolution, just to lose them again.

He didn't know how long he ran with the Pokemon chasing after him. He didn't even know why the Pokemon was chasing him. It just wouldn't stop, and it surely had more endurance than him...

Giving up, Kelvin turning, and sent Aria out, hoping that she could intimidate his pursuer. Aria screeched her battle cry, and went in, using a Wing Attack. The Graveler stopped, and easily endured the hit, before picking up a rock and throwing it.

_Rock Throw. _

Wasn't that super-effective against Flying types?

Aria dodged the first rock, but the second and third ones hit her directly, causing, well, a lot of damage. Kelvin quickly recalled her, since he wasn't sure her wing could hold up to all the stress. Then he sent out Arielle.

"Use Harden!"

Arielle gleamed, and shone, showing a harder surface. The Graveler ignored the Metapod, watching Kelvin, and then charged again.

Not wanting to leave Arielle behind, but unable to recall her since the Graveler was chasing him, Kelvin ran in various circles, yelling his head off. Anyone else watching would have been extremely amused. As it was, no one else was there to help Kelvin. It was just him, the Graveler, and Arielle the Metapod, sitting in the middle of all of Kelvin's running, doing absolutely nothing.

Occasionally, Arielle would flash, but that was just a Harden attack.

Or was it?

There was another flash, brighter than the rest, and then Arielle began to glow. The soft white light engulfed both pursuer and the pursued, causing them to stop and watch the spectacle.

Arielle grew larger, forming into the shape of a large butterfly. When the incandescence finally stopped, a Butterfree fluttered in the air, chanting, "Free! Free!"

The Graveler, which wanted a fight, as Kelvin finally realized, leapt at the newly evolved Arielle. Kelvin, not knowing what to do, called out a random Bug attack.

"Use String Shot!"

Arielle conjured a white string from her mouth, and hit the Graveler with it. The Rock Pokemon brushed the attack aside, leaving the white, sticky substance on one of its four arms, and kept on charging, picking up a rock, and throwing it.

Kelvin frantically searched through his Pokedex to look for an attack. Butterfree Butterfree where is it Buttefree... yes!

"Use Confusion!"

Rainbow beams shot out of Arielle's large, compound eyes, hitting the rock and Graveler with a powerful attack. Graveler got up slowly, seemingly dazed. It was confused.

"Good job!"

"Free free!" Arielle fluttered around, sending green powder over the Graveler, who promptly fell asleep. Sleep powder, of course. That would be rather handy.

Kelvin slipped a Pokeball out, tossing it at the Graveler. The large Rock Pokemon was engulfed in a red light, and the ball shook, gently, before _pinging_ to signify that Graveler was indeed captured. Kelvin picked up the Pokeball and put it in his pack, before turning to face his new Butterfree.

She had evolved from a hard, seemingly immobile and helpless form, into this wonderous, and very powerful (or so Kelvin thought) Pokemon. Would Kari one day make this change from Magikarp into Gyarados, becoming something very powerful, and very much feared and revered?

A Gyarados...

Kelvin had heard of the Sea Serpent Legends, when a particularly large Gyarados terrorized a water-side city. It had eventually been captured, but none of the city's inhabitants ever forgot the devastating power of the Sea Serpent. Would Kari become like the legendary Sea Serpent, destroying all that was in his path, raising waterspouts and floods and the like?

Hopefully not.

Recalling Arielle, Kelvin let Kari out. The Magikarp bobbed in a friendly way, still muttering "Magimagikarp," in a monotonous tone. Kelvin smiled.

"I hope, if you ever evolve, you won't turn rogue on me."

Kari regarded him with one big eye, tilting his entire body back and forth (since that was the only way he could nod). His muttering, if it was muttering, took on a note of persuasion and the such. Kelvin almost laughed.

"Alright, you have me convinced." Kelvin picked Kari up, letting the fish Pokemon sit in his arms. "We might as well just get a move on. I don't want anything else coming after us. Especially if it rolls, too."

* * *

DarkFlameWarrior: Sorry, short chapter. I'm thinking how odd it is how Kelvin keeps catching Pokemon at the second evolution. First a Fearow, then a Metapod, and now a Graveler (which hasn't been named yet, any suggestions?). Lazy of me, maybe, but I didn't do that on purpose... well, I hope you liked the chapter! And please don't ask me if Kari's going to evolve. You'll find out... cough cough! 


	6. Ravi

Hm... who wants me to update quicker? I sure want myself to update quicker, because I'm wasting soooo much time on other things. sighs But then again, I'm also thinking about putting up a one-shot about a Ponyta; I'm writing it, but it's not turning out as good as I want it, so there will be loads of edits before I decide to put it on.

Now, to answer some questions asked

Facia: Well... I suppose that he could have run back, right? Although I think that part was really badly written (yeah... I'm always criticizing my own work, since I see faults everywhere). The Graveler's more belligerent than just aggressive. It's like Ash's Charizard in the sense that it wants a challenge, but it won't be _that_ bad.

Pokemon Master: Are you reading my mind? Because that's already planned... but not until... later... cough quotes: You'll find out!

**MagiMagikarp!**

Chapter Six 

It did not help Kelvin that he didn't know where he was. While he had been running around in all directions trying to avoid Graveler, he'd lost track of where he was, and the time, and now it was already afternoon, with not one sign of the trail, and no way to find out where he was. Kelvin didn't want to strain Aria's wing any more by flying to see if there was anything, and he couldn't afford one of those map-thingies that he didn't even know how to use. So, in short, or not, Kelvin was absolutely, completely, utterly, lost. Something that seemed to be very common for the average (and less-than-average) Pokemon trainer.

Kari was in a rather happy mood, for all their wandering. The Magikarp had an optimistic air, and often moved up and down in Kelvin's arms. The reason for Kari's happiness became apparent the moment Kelvin wandered further up, and came to a stream, fast running. It was a surprise Kelvin hadn't heard the running water before, though. He was darned thirsty.

Scooping up water in one hand, and slurping noisily, Kelvin set Kari on the ground (not in the stream, because he was afraid the Magikarp would be washed away), and let out the rest of his Pokemon. None of them liked being cooped up in their Pokeballs anyway, especially since Aria was the only one that had something more than a regular Pokeball. And since Kelvin didn't exactly have adequate provisions, they were darned thirsty as well.

He really needed to buy a larger water bottle. He'd received a free, cheap plastic one from the shop for buying as much as he did (which wasn't that much), but it was already dented. At least it wasn't leaking, but it barely held enough water for a day's trip.

His new Graveler scooped water up in its four hands, slurping noisily. It didn't seem to be bothered by water that much, Kelvin noticed, even though the water dripped down upon its "scales" and dribbled down its front. Perhaps that may come in handy – a rock Pokemon that didn't mind Water Attacks.

The belligerent Graveler didn't challenge any of Kelvin's other Pokemon either. Apparently, it understood teamwork. Perhaps it was more intelligent than belligerent.

Their water break finished with a water fight, in which Kelvin saw the resistance Graveler (which he planned on calling Dustin, after a well-known fighting Hitmonchan) had to water. Aria flapped her wings while hovering above the water, sending waves over the side, and drenching Dustin. Kari splashed in the water, using, of course, Splash. Kelvin laughed at his Pokemons' playfulness, and at Arielle, who flew up high to avoid getting her wings wet.

He let them play for a while, then introduced Dustin to his new name, and formally to the rest of his Pokemon. Then he recalled them to their Pokeballs, and set off, refreshed.

Kelvin walked through the woods, watching for other Pokemon, when he was nearly bowled over by a Growlithe. The Fire Pokemon's trainer appeared a few seconds later; it was an Officer Jenny.

"Hello, there! Have you seen an Ekans lately? It's stolen a Pokemon Egg, and were hoping to find it before it's too late."

"No," Kelvin replied, "but I can help look."

The officer looked over him. "You have Pokemon?"

"Yes, ma'am, four. I can use my Fearow to look," Kelvin offered.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

Kelvin released Aria, and asked her to look for an Ekans. The mention of the snake Pokemon seemed to anger Aria, and she swept into the air on an eager search, Kelvin and Officer Jenny following her on the ground.

They came upon the Poison Pokemon not too long after; the Pokemon Egg lay within its coils as the Ekans swayed from side to side. The Growlithe launched an Ember attack, to intimidate it, but the Ekans, apparently high leveled, threw an Acid attack its way, scoring a hit, and knocking Growlithe out.

Sweating, Kelvin released Dustin, commanding it to attack the Ekans, and not crush the egg. Dustin launched into a Magnitude attack, slamming down onto the ground with the intense strength of its 232lbs. The ground rippled, showing the force of the attack to be strong indeed. It sure didn't hurt that the Ground attack was supereffective against the grounded Poison Type.

Kelvin watched in satisfaction as the attack took its toll on the Ekans. But the wily Ekans hadn't survived its short life in the woods without learning how to fight, and it launched a Glare attack, effectively Paralyzing Dustin, before attacking with Acid. The poisonous Acid simply slid off Dustin, being a very ineffective attack. The stink also cured Dustin of his paralysis.

Roaring, Dustin attacked with a Rock Blast, trapping the Ekans, and knocking it out. Officer Jenny picked out a Pokeball, and hurled it, capturing the Poison Pokemon, while her revived Growlithe ran to guard the egg. Kelvin sighed in relief, and congratulated Dustin for his outstanding battle. The Graveler took it all in stride, proclaiming his victory with a deafening "Graveleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!"

Officer Jenny offered to take him to the city where she worked, an offer Kelvin gladly accepted. Recalling Dustin to his Pokeball, Kelvin kept pace with Officer Jenny as they returned to Orivsal City, the City of the Winged Ones, a.k.a the city with the gym of Flying Pokemon.

_I suppose I could challenge the Gym,_ Kelvin thought. _After all, Dustin knows Rock Throw, which should come in handy. I wonder if Aria could work. Arielle probably won't, since Flying is supereffective against Bug types like her, but…_

It would be his first Gym Battle.

Kelvin gulped nervously.

* * *

The Gym was intimidating from the outside, and Kelvin shivered, wondering whether he was up to the challenge. As he walked in, a trainer walked up to him.

"Azaria's not in," he told Kelvin. "She'll be in pretty soon, but while she's not, would you mind a battle?"

Kelvin looked at his challenger, a boy older than him, but probably not by much. He had dark, auburn hair, and green eyes, similar to those of a cat's. His frame was slim, and he wore a simple black shirt and blue jeans. Kelvin shrugged. "I don't know; I haven't battle another trainer before."

A gleam entered the other boy's eyes. "You shouldn't tell me of your inexperience. But since you're here for the same thing I am, to challenge the Gym Leader, it might do you some good to know how to battle. Oh, and by the way, I'm Ravi."

"I'm Kelvin."

"How many Pokemon do you have?" Ravi asked, reaching for his belt, which contained six Poke'balls.

"Four. My Graveler, my Fearow, my Butterfree, and my starter, a Magikarp."

"A _Magikarp_?" Ravi echoed. "For a _starter_?"

Kelvin winced. "My parents gave Kari to me. He's not that bad, really."

"Is he anywhere near evolving?"

"I don't know. I train him, but I have no clue on these things."

Ravi gave him a measuring look. "Well, if you're going to be a trainer, Kelvin, you'd better learn these things. Care to test your Magikarp against mine?"

"You have one?"

"Yeah, just caught it, but at least it knows attacks." Ravi laughed, reaching for his belt, and taking out a simple Pokeball. "Come on out, Magikarp!"

Kelvin released Kari, who promptly pushed himself up with his fins, although he teetered from side to side. Ravi laughed again.

"Your Magikarp is so much more coordinated than mine," Ravi commented. "Lets see… erm, Magikarp, use Tackle."

The flopping fish that belonged to Ravi flopped a little more, but that was about all.

Kelvin stared. "Erm, Kari, use Tackle?"

Kari hopped forward, feebly slamming the other Magikarp.

"I don't believe we should continue," Ravi remarked, after a few more attempts at attacks.

"Neither do I," Kelvin muttered, recalling Kari, and Ravi recalled his Magikarp.

"Well… since you only have three other Pokemon, what kind of battle do you want? I know that Azaria fights three-on-three battles. Would you care to try?"

"Sure." At least Kelvin knew what three-on-three battles were – they were the most common type of official combat.

Ravi sent out a Weepinbell, a yellow bell-like Pokemon with two leaves on each side, and a gaping mouth. Kelvin had seen Weepinbell before, and was well versed in its attacks, since he avoided one every day from school, the one hanging on the fence of his neighbor, happily sitting there, but thinking that everything that walked in front of it was its rightful prey…

"Go, Aria!" Kelvin released the Fearow from her Ultra Ball, and she struck a battle pose, watching her opponent with a menacing gaze.

_First battle ever_, Kelvin thought nervously, _and I don't know anything about the tactics trainers might use. I don't even know any tactics!_

Aria arched her neck, and, at Kelvin's bid of "Wing Attack", launched forward.

* * *

DarkFlameWarrior: Sorry for not updating sooner! It might not get any better… but I hope you liked the chapter! 


	7. First Battle

Well, the story seems to be coming along quite well, some speculation going on. Now for the battle!

**MagiMagikarp!**

Chapter Seven 

Aria moved quickly, striking at the Weepinbell before it could react. Kelvin was pleased as Aria scored the hit, and was even more pleased when he remembered that Flying-type attacks were supereffective against Grass-types.

The Weepinbell shook itself, looking a little battered, but still fit to battle. Aria rose high into the air, ready to strike again. Ravi chuckled.

"Alright, Weepinbell, use Sweet Scent to lure Fea – I mean Aria – in."

Weepinbell began to emit a pink fragrance, which rose into the air. Kelvin bit his lip. What was Sweet Scent again?

Aria, who surely had a mind of her own, used her Gust Attack to blow the Sweet Scent away, and back onto the ground, where it redirected all over the ground, so that Kelvin and Ravi were both covered in pink fragrance. Taking a sniff, Kelvin suddenly felt a little light-headed...

"Hey, Kelvin! If you're going to battle, ignore that stuff!"

Snapping back to the world, Kelvin saw Ravi grinning at him, and laughed. "Sorry! I'm not used to this battling stuff!"

"I know that! You told me that you've never battled! You're lucky Aria decided to use her Gust, or this battle would have been quick!"

Weepinbell, who obviously realized any powdery substances would be of no use against Aria's continued Gust attack, decided on a different course of action. Ravi wasn't ordering his Pokemon either, but Weepinbell used its Vine Whip attack, reaching through the Gust, and towards Aria.

The Fearow, ever opportunistic, used her Aerial Ice attack to battle the Vines, before winging around them, and attempting a Drill Peck on Weepinbell. The Grass-type spat Acid at her; luckily, the potent substance simply rebounded off her whirling beak, nearly missing Kelvin as it splattered all over the place.

Then it was close combat, with Weepinbell's vines around Aria, and Aria's beak trying to reach Weepinbell, while her talons closed around the vines so the Weepinbell couldn't throw her. It was a stalemate, or so Kelvin thought.

"Sleep powder!" Ravi commanded, and Weepinbell obliged. Aria flapped her majestic wings again, redirecting the attack, though it had no effect upon Weepinbell, as the Grass-type had been the one to emit it.

"Use Aerial Ice again!" Kelvin shouted, and Aria again flapped her wings, sending the attack towards her close opponent, loosening the Weepinbell's grip, and allowing her to score a Drill Peck, seriously damaging it.

"Synthesis, Weepinbell."

Kelvin watched as Weepinbell regained health, though it still looked a little beaten up. Then Ravi told it to use Razor Leaf, which Aria again battled with her Aerial Ice.

"Use Magical Leaf!"

What was Magical Leaf? Kelvin saw the leaves coming from Weepinbell. They looked just like a Razor Leaf, so he had Aria use Aerial Ice again.

The leaves weren't detained the least, slamming into Aria. However, they were extremely ineffective. Aria flew higher up into the air, becoming nearly a speck in the sky.

"What the?" Kelvin asked. Ravi shrugged.

"I think I know," he replied. "Did you catch her as a Fearow?"

"Erm, yeah."

"Hm. Still could be." Ravi watched the speck that was Aria. "We'll have to wait."

Then Aria was streaking down, a brown blur, towards the Weepinbell, slamming into it directly. Weepinbell flailed helplessly in the air, then landed, before fainting. Ravi recalled it, then laughed.

"I was right! That _was_ Sky Attack! Your Fearow must have had some good parents!"

"Huh?" Kelvin, who was still surprised that he'd won, was experiencing a brain-freeze of sorts.

"Sky Attack can only be learned as an Egg Move. Normal Spearow and Fearow can't learn that move," Ravi explained. "So your Aria must have had a parent that knew Sky Attack."

"Cool," Kelvin muttered.

"Let's get on with it," Ravi went on, releasing another Pokemon, a Magnemite. The Steel/Electric-type hovered in the air. Kelvin scowled, and recalled Aria. She would be no good against an Electric attack.

"C'mon out, Dustin!"

The Graveler, bursting out in a flash of light, roared his challenge. The genderless Magnemite sent out a Thunder Wave, likely out of reflex, which obviously did nothing to Dustin, who launched high into the air, and slammed solidly back down – a Magnitude attack.

Admittedly, the Magnitude attack was weak, but super-supereffective against Magnemite. The tiny Pokemon struggled against the attack, crashing heavily to the floor, and Dustin gleefully launched into a Rollout attack.

It occurred to Kelvin then how little he actually did about these battles, and how little he knew about his Pokemon's attacks.

Magnemite rose into the air, but couldn't avoid being hit by the Rollout attack, causing it to fly high in the air, and then land just in time for Dustin to collide again. Ravi quickly recalled the beaten up Pokemon, a wincing look upon his face.

"Awww… I was hoping the little guy would be better. Ah, well. Lets see. I guess I'll send in my starter. Go, Squirtle!"

The turtle Pokemon popped out of its shell, and happily announced its name. Ravi laughed.

"Yeah, Squirtle, maybe a Water Gun?"

Kelvin recalled Dustin before the attack hit, despite Dustin's obvious want for the battle, and got a face full of water as a result. "GAHHHHH!"

Ravi laughed again. "Nice! Keep it up!"

"RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAVVVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Kelvin gurgled.

"Alright... you can stop, Squirt."

Kelvin spat out a load of water, then release Arielle, the Butterfree fluttering high into the air. Ravi gazed admiringly, and Squirtle, or Squirt, released a jet of water.

Arielle dodged the intended attack, then released Sleep Powder, easily putting her opponent to sleep, then attacking with Confusion. Ravi growled, watching Squirt awake only to be put back to sleep, and recalled the poor, cute, sleeping Squirtle.

"Not bad for a first timer," he congratulated.

Kelvin sighed. "No… it's not really me. I'm not really doing anything besides stand here, and let my Pokemon do the work. I don't even tell them what to do!"

"Well… sometimes they know better."

"They _always_ know better!" Kelvin replied. "I don't know any of this battle stuff, and I'll look like a fool just standing there, while my Pokemon knows way better what to do."

Ravi shrugged. "Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it soon. Just spend more time with your Pokemon. After all, that Magikarp of yours was rather good."

"I suppose." Kelvin recalled Arielle, who was flitting happily over his head. "Could you help me?"

The two of them walked towards the Pokemon Center, so they could heal Ravi's Pokemon. All the time, Ravi was chatting.

"You need to let them out at mealtimes, and play games with them, like volleyball maybe, or games that require them to use their attacks. You could buy those power-ups like Carbos and things like that, but those are expensive. Battle Wild Pokemon and gain the experience. Use your PokeDex if you need to. Um. Find Berries or items your Pokemon can hold to increase their attack stats or whatever. Erm… battle other trainers?" Ravi sighed. "That's only if you think you can find an easy person."

They entered the doors of the Pokemon Center and handed their Pokeballs to Nurse Joy, who promptly took them into her care. Kelvin retained Kari, releasing the Magikarp so that Ravi could see him.

"He's cool. He shines really nicely, and he's a strong Magikarp," Ravi told him, holding Kari. "He's a little on the heavy side for a Magikarp. That might be a good. Nice fins, good eyes–"

"How do you know these things?" Kelvin asked.

"Oh. My parents own a Breeding Facility. There are loads of Pokemon running around, and Squirt's a bred Squirtle. That does give me a slight advantage, since he happens to know Mirror Coat. It's a lovely attack, and a lovely surprise." Ravi smiled. "Though it would have done no good in our battle. I should have given Squirt a Chesto Berry."

Chesto Berries woke up Pokemon that were asleep. At least Kelvin still remembered his berries.

"Unfortunately, I still need to train my Pokemon a load too. Care to join me in my cause?"

Kelvin did a double take. "What?"

"Hm? Travel together? I could use the company."

_And so could I_, thought Kelvin. "Sure."

Ravi chuckled. "You have no idea what you just signed yourself up for."

"It can't be that bad," Kelvin shot back. "After all, _you_ have no idea what you've offered."

* * *

Azaria was a middle-aged woman, with brown curls running all over the place. She had blue eyes, telling of experience, and wore simple clothing. Three Pokeballs hung at each side of her belt. Ravi and Kelvin looked at each other.

"You first," Ravi said.

"No, you first," was Kelvin's reply. "You have more experience, and I want to watch."

Ravi laughed. "Alright then. But know that you're a chicken-" He skittered out of Kelvin's reach, into the challenger's spot. The judge raised one of his flags.

"This is a three-on-three battle. The Gym Leader, Azaria, is not allowed to substitute Pokemon while the Challenger, Ravi Zenkova, is allowed to. The match is over when all of a trainer's Pokemon are unable to battle. Begin!"

Azaria sent out a Dodou, a two-headed bird. Ravi smiled, and sent out his Magnemite.

Kelvin watched on.

* * *

DarkFlameWarrior: Heh, let's leave off at that! Now… Kelvin's so inexperienced, huh? I just made that awfully clear. That's nice. So I'll have to spend a few chapters showing his progress as a trainer… just great, things like that are just what I suck at doing.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Kelvin won the battle, though he barely did anything. I'm thinking to enunciate Ravi's strength as a subtle thing, not all sheer strength, but cunning tricks and stuff. And the battle wasn't that fair, since Kelvin had type advantages… do you like my new character? Red hair, green eyes… not that great of a combo.


	8. Gym Terrors

must update more I think that I'll update more in the summer, but for now, I'll just update when I can…

**MagiMagikarp!**

Chapter Eight 

The Dodou shouldn't have had any chance from the beginning. Ravi's Magnemite had every advantage – resistance to both of Dodou's dual types, and its supereffective electric attacks. Kelvin smirked, thinking that Magnemite would easily win.

Ravi commanded his Magnemite to use its Thunderwave, which the Dodou dodged. It was fast, Kelvin noted, something that Magnemite was not. The steel/electric type fired its attack multiple times, finally managing to clip the agile bird, sending paralysis through its frame. Ravi, who had been clenching his firsts, let out a hiss of satisfaction.

Azaria didn't seem to mind the fact that her Pokemon was paralyzed; rather, she ordered it to attack with Fury Attack. Dodou, paralyzed, was unable to comply. Ravi smirked.

"Go, Magnemite! Use your Tackle!"

_Interesting,_ Kelvin thought. _Why not use Thundershock?_

The Magnemite swooped towards the downed bird, speeding for a strong attack, when Azaria commanded her Dodou to attack again.

"Use Façade!"

The Dodou snapped up, intercepting Magnemite's path with an attack of its own. Kelvin winced as Magnemite was thrown back. The attack was not without cost, though. Dodou slid to the ground, fainting.

Ravi sighed, evidently relieved that he had made it through. The tiny Magnemite swooped around in the air, doing a "victory dance" of sorts. Azaria recalled her Dodou, and sent out its evolved form, a Dodrio.

Faster, more powerful, and more cunning, the Dodrio easily avoided Magnemite's Thunder Waves. Ravi growled in frustration, and commanded Magnemite to use its Thundershock attack. The Electric attack hit its mark, though it seemed to do little damage.

"Use Tri-Attack, Dodrio!" Azaria commanded.

The three-headed bird looked towards Magnemite, a beam forming between each of its beaks. The three beams connected into a triangle, and became a single beam, streaking towards Magnemite, who moved to dodge it. But it wasn't fast enough…

"No," Ravi yelled, as Magnemite was frozen solid. Kelvin bit his lip. Tri-Attack had a 30 chance of Freezing, Paralyzing, or Burning the opposing Pokemon. Evidently, Magnemite had been lucky enough to suffer from one of those 30 chances.

Ravi recalled his fallen Magnemite, sending out one of the Pokemon that Kelvin hadn't yet seen: his Growlithe. The fire Pokemon growled in challenge, evidently having been in many battles. Kelvin vaguely wondered where Growlithe had come from; evidently, it had been with Ravi for a long time.

The Dodrio stalked around Growlithe, who turned, keeping an ever-vigilant eye on the bird. Just when Kelvin couldn't wait any longer, Dodrio struck out, using a basic Peck attack, testing the waters in which it was going to plunge.

It got more than it expected. Growlithe bit down on one of its beaks, holding it firmly, then launched into a Flame Wheel attack, dragging the Dodrio with it. When the blazing attack finished, Dodrio lay on the floor, out cold. Or hot.

"Nice, Growlithe. Just like you did to that annoying Pidgeotto back then," Ravi complemented, smirking. Azaria returned the smirk, and released her third and final Pokemon for this battle.

It was a Pidgeotto.

Growlithe immediately growled, the sight of his old nemesis setting it—no, her off. Kelvin noticed that she was crouched in a ready stance, instead of standing like last time. Pidgeotto must have been a terror back then.

The Pidgeotto flapped its wings to gain altitude, then dove sharply at Growlithe, who neatly dodged the attack, twisting in the air to land on all fours, like a cat. This continued several times, until Growlithe managed to jump onto the Pidgeotto's broad back, biting deep into the neck.

"Growlithe! Don't kill it!" Ravi yelled, as the Pidgeotto squawked horribly, and began a swift decent. Growlithe jumped off, blood matting its maw. Azaria hurriedly recalled her bleeding Pokemon, while Ravi washed out Growlithe's mouth, talking softly all the while.

Kelvin gulped. He didn't know that Pokemon would do that, ever. Pidgeotto must have had a profound affect on Growlithe, for that to happen. Ravi looked shocked, and nearly missed the badge that Azaria flipped at him, before hurriedly rushing off to the Pokemon Center. Kelvin watched Ravi recall his Growlithe, who was whimpering softly, and then sit down on the ground, dazed.

Fifteen minutes later, Azaria returned, holding her Pidgeotto, who was looking very hurt. Kelvin sighed in relief that the bird Pokemon wasn't dead, then remembered that he was to battle next.

Azaria released a Farfetch'd, a bird Pokemon holding a leek. Kelvin debated on which Pokemon to use. Perhaps...

A flash of white, and Dustin appeared, ready to fight, and seeming very, very impatient to get on with it. Kelvin found out why a few moments later, when the judge announced the start of the fight, and Dustin completely knocked out the Farfetch'd with a Rock Slide attack.

"Hey! That's another Egg Move!" Ravi yelled. "Did you know that?"

_Of course not!_ Kelvin thought. _How in the world do I know that?_

Azaria looked very upset, but then sent out a Spearow, a small bird Pokemon with a huge temper. The bird flapped its stubby wings, and barely managed to get airborne before Dustin knocked it out again with another Rock Slide.

Kelvin felt very hopeful, and chanced to hope that he would easily win this one. After all, Dustin would hardly be knocked out of the fight so easily. His attacks were supereffective against the Pokemon the Gym used, and their attacks were halved in power.

Or were they?

A Fearow appeared, and as the judge announced the start of this third bout, Azaria commanded it to use Hidden Power. Dustin took the attack, full brunt, and then fainted.

"What!" Kelvin yelled. "How--"

"Leaf type Hidden Power," Azaria explained. "It's supereffective against your Graveler."

Kelvin cursed under his breath for being so stupid, then considered his options. Arielle would be decimated in this fight, as she was a Bug Type, and he didn't dare risk Kari, though he'd proven effective time and time again. No, he'd use Aria.

So, now it was Fearow versus Fearow.

Aria shrilled her challenge to the other Fearow, and then they circled. The Gym Leader's Fearow was male, Kelvin noticed. How interesting. Battle of the Sexes?

Or not.

Azaria started laughing as her Fearow began to do some weird dance. Kelvin glanced at Ravi, who was laughing too. Aria did not looked very pleased, and was flying higher.

"What?" Kelvin asked, completely oblivious to what was happening.

Ravi choked out an answer. "He's trying to entice Aria to mate with him."

Kelvin stared, then started to laugh as well.

When they all finally finished laughing, Aria was attacking the other Fearow ferociously, pecking at him and clawing him. The Fearow didn't even bother protecting himself, still cawing his song, and driving Aria even madder, until he fainted, and Aria stopped clawing at him. Azaria recalled her fallen Fearow, and then flipped the Avian Badge at Kelvin, who caught it in surprise.

He'd finally won his first badge.

"Nice job," was Ravi's reply. "Though that was rather interesting, your last battle." He glanced at Aria, who was preening her wing feathers. "She's a tough one, huh?"

"Yeah." Kelvin stowed his badge in a small pouch, which he tucked away into his backpack. The pouch had come from Ravi, who had learned that Kelvin didn't know the least of what to do with the badges. Kelvin then recalled Aria, and the two of them headed for the Pokemon Center to heal their Pokemon.

Handing Dustin's and Aria's Pokeballs to Nurse Joy, Kelvin released Kari, who seemed as bubbly as ever. Ravi laughed as Kari bumped his shoulder, showing that he recognized him.

"While they're getting healed, why don't we head outside and see if we can train up Kari a little?" Ravi suggested. Kelvin shrugged, picking up Kari, and following his energetic companion out the door.

They ended up in some field with an irrigation ditch, flooded, and overrun with wild Pokemon. "This place is famous," Ravi told him. "It's full of weak Pokemon, so it's the perfect place to train. There's some Rattata over there, and Sandshrew... erm, we're standing on one's burrow right now. Over there, you can see some Zubat flying about. Well, it is getting a bit late. Let your Kari swim in the irrigation ditch, he's bound to meet up with Pokemon then."

Setting Kari down in the flooded waterline, Kelvin watched his Magikarp swim in search of conquest. Of _easy_ conquest, of course.

It wasn't until several Rattata had flown through there air (one landed on Ravi's head) that the two of them realized that Kari was perhaps a bit _too_ strong for these weak Pokemon...

Scooping up the swimming Magikarp, Kelvin asked whether or not there were stronger Pokemon about. Ravi lead them to another part of the field, this one rigged with thorny plants, but still flooded. Setting Kari down into the water, Kelvin watched as a Nidoran (male) attacked his seemingly helpless Magikarp.

Kari launched into a full Tackle, slamming into his opponent and sending it flying. But it came back, vigorously attacking with its Horn. Sinking into the water, Kari popped up behind the the Nidoran and slammed into it again. It flew a few feet, then staggered to its feet, attempting another attack. The Magikarp didn't even give it a chance to start that attack, though; he launched high into the air, and came down directly on the tired Nidoran, knocking it out for good.

"Nice," Kelvin told his Magikarp, who bobbed appreciatively.

Ravi checked his watch. "Let's head back," he suggested.

They were running across the field, the sun completely set. Perhaps that wasn't the smartest thing to do...

Something brushed against Kelvin, something ghastly and creepy. Ravi yelped, and then their attackers were illuminated.

Ghastly. Many Ghastly, their two teeth gleaming.

Ravi gasped, then smacked himself lightly on the head. "I forgot. The Ghost Pokemon appear at night."

"Nice going," Kelvin commented. Kari's Tackle attack wouldn't do any good against the Ghost Pokemon, so what should they do?

……………………

DarkFlameWarrior: Okay, that really sucked. The way out of their predicament is _really_ obvious, you know? Also, there's a lot of Egg Moves in here because in the wild, it's really impossible for the Pokemon born out there not to have Egg Moves. Really. The EG just isn't bred. So... sorry if that sounded like a wimpy reason, but I find it rather true.


	9. Mysterious Pokemon

No... I probably won't end up updating more in the summer. sighs I suppose you'll just have to bear with me. Oh, and for this chapter, I'd like to tell you all that only the first 151 Pokemon are actually known to this region.

**MagiMagikarp!**

**Chapter Nine**

Kelvin stared hard at the Ghastly, who were slowly closing in. He'd never met Ghost Pokemon before, and wasn't exactly sure if they were going to attack them or possess them or something terribly creepy.

On the other hand, Ravi didn't seem too worried. His cat-like eyes were darting around, and he seemed to be muttering something under his breath. Something about "should be appearing soon."

The Ghastly suddenly parted, and a shadowy figure walked towards them. Kelvin paled.

It was a Gengar.

The spiky Pokemon advanced towards them, and stopped about five feet away. Kelvin could feel goose bumps on his arms, and tried to ignore thoughts of imminent doom, instead focusing on Ravi and his reactions.

"Hello, Gengar. Might there be a reason for you visit?"

Kelvin gaped. Why was he asking the Gengar a question.

The Gengar nodded, to Kelvin's utter amazement, and pointed. The two of them turned and saw yet another dark shape in the distance, one that quickly disappeared. A Pokemon, Kelvin decided, but one he had never seen before.

"What can that be?" Kelvin asked aloud.

Ravi shrugged. "I don't know, but it seems to be causing the Ghost Pokemon trouble."

"They want us to vanquish it?"

"I suppose." Ravi looked at Gengar. "We need to go to the Pokemon Center to retrieve our Pokemon, is that okay?"

A nod parted the Ghastly, and Ravi stepped through. Kelvin quickly followed, and they ran to the Pokemon Center.

"Do we (gasp) really have to go (gasp) back?" Kelvin questioned as they entered the Pokemon Center. He was out of breath from running, and had actually overtaken Ravi in his flight.

"Hm? Of course. The Gengar asked us for a favor, what else can we do?"

"But--"

"Let me tell you this," Ravi interrupted. "Ghost Pokemon don't often ask for favors from humans. This is a once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing. And I'm not missing out."

"Can't we ask people to help?" Kelvin asked desperately?

Ravi shook his head, his auburn hair flying. "No, the Gengar asked us, and not anyone else. Besides, the Pokemon is probably a type that the Ghost Pokemon can't defeat. But we should be able to do so. And maybe catch it too."

Kelvin thought. Ghost Pokemon had no weaknesses, as far as he knew, but the only Ghost Pokemon known to him were also Poison types, which were weak to Psychic and Ground attacks. Psychic Pokemon were weak to Ghost Attacks, so it probably wasn't a Psychic Pokemon. And a Ground Pokemon wouldn't have been able to hit the Ghosts because of their Levitate Ability.

"What _can_ it be?" Kelvin mused.

"I would have absolutely no idea," was Ravi's reply. "Does it matter? Just bring all you need; your Pokemon, and some Pokeballs so we can catch it."

"Catch it?" Kelvin asked incredulously. "If the Ghosts might not be able to control it, how can _we?_"

Ravi shrugged again. "That will be the fun, won't it?"

Now very nervous, Kelvin retrieved his Pokemon from Nurse Joy, and watched Ravi take back his. He'd never ever done anything like this, and surely didn't know what to do. Was this even safe? And what would the Ghosts do if they refused? Would it be worse than if they tackled the mystery Pokemon?

"You're worrying too much," Ravi commented. "Keep a Pokemon out if you need to. Of course, it's entirely possible the Pokemon will attack us, but Pokemon normally avoid humans if possible, and they rarely attack. I don't know why."

Kelvin didn't find this too reassuring, but followed Ravi out of the Pokemon Center, and to the local Shop to buy Pokeballs. Ravi paid for them all, since Kelvin didn't have too much money with him. The $1600 he'd won from beating Azaria didn't go very far, not when you considered the fact that Pokeballs cost $200 each, Great Balls cost $800, and Ultra Balls cost $1200! And there were the Antidotes, $100, and other things.

It was very dark by the time they set out. Ravi led on in the darkness, and when Kelvin asked why he didn't get a flashlight, Ravi told him that it would only scare away the Pokemon, and that wouldn't be good if they were trying to encounter it.

There was no moon, just a sky of stars and clouds, and Kelvin was getting cold. He hadn't brought his jacket, having left that in their room at the Pokemon Center, and he thoroughly regretted doing so. It sure didn't help that he'd left his Pokedex in his jacket pocket. Now he wouldn't be able to identify their mystery Pokemon.

He might not get any information anyway, seeing how hadn't recognized the silhouette of the Pokemon.

The Ghost Pokemon were waiting for them. For some reason, this unnerved Kelvin. He didn't do well in front of audiences.

Ravi took the lead again, and they set off in search.

* * *

There was nothing, not so far as they looked. Kelvin realized he was getting awfully sleepy when he tripped over a hidden root and fell flat on his face. Ravi helped him back up.

"I'm thinking we should head back," Ravi commented, brushing the dirt off Kelvin's clothes. "You look rather tired..."

"I _am_ tired," Kelvin muttered, getting to his feet with great difficulty. "I'm _definitely_ not used to this."

Ravi laughed. "That's too bad. I'm sure used to this. Breeding is nice, but you have to watch over the mothering Pokemon a lot."

"Can we go back now?"

"_Can_ you?" Ravi asked? "You don't look like you can even walk."

"I'll try."

The two of them trudged back from where they had come, towards the town that currently seemed a small dot in the distance, at least to Kelvin. It was a lot closer than that, but he couldn't see to clearly, and the sun had not yet risen. The lights of the city had been dimmed too.

Ravi helped him along, and they crossed the small streams, splashing noisily, then hearing their feet squish in the mud as they got out. Kelvin heard Ravi mutter something about "ruined clothes" as they walked along.

That would be just great, seeing how he didn't have many outfits at all. And this was his only pair of shoes; they were undoubtly ruined. He didn't want Ravi buying one for him, that would be asking too much of his friend.

Ravi gave a sudden shout, and halted; Kelvin toppled over into the mud. Well. His clothes were definitely ruined. But that wasn't important. He raised himself in time to see the dark shape flying towards them, connecting squarely with Ravi, and knocking him backward.

_Oh, great. Now we're getting attacked_.

A rush of adrenaline helped Kelvin get to his feet, and pluck a Pokeball from his belt. He didn't know which one it was, but Aria burst out, and screeched her battle cry.

There were muffled sounds, which was Ravi's yelling, and another burst of light revealed Squirt, who promptly attacked the Pokemon. Aria waded into the fight as well, and it was all a flurry of wings, fists, and... claws.

Kelvin helped Ravi out of the fight, all the while watching the Pokemon. It was mostly white, though there were black-blue parts, and the eyes were red. There was something shaped like a scythe on one side of its head. But the most disturbing thing was the Pokemon's aura, black as night, so that it almost obscured the fact it's fur was white.

Squirt popped into his shell just in time to avoid a vicious bite attack from the Pokemon, which sent the shell flying and nearly colliding with Ravi and Kelvin. Ravi was suffering from bite and slash wounds on his arms, obviously protecting his throat from the Pokemon's attacks. Kelvin growled, and took out a Super Potion. It wouldn't work as well as if Ravi were a Pokemon, but it would help the wound.

Ravi hissed in pain as Kelvin sprayed the injuries, and they both watched Squirtle charge back into the fight, only to be knocked out again. Aria had taken to the air, where she attacked with her beak, making sure not to get too close to the flying paws.

Purple hues suddenly illuminated the ring, and Kelvin saw the Ghastly ringing them, helping light the area. The Gengar was supporting Ravi, and a few Haunter, which Kelvin had not seen before, picked up the fainting Squirtle and deposited it with his trainer.

Aria was fighting diligently, all right, but it wasn't effective enough. The Pokemon smacked her down with a paw, drawing lines of blood across her back. Kelvin immediately recalled her, and sent in Dustin.

The Graveler roared, and attacked the Pokemon with Rollout, which missed as the white feline sprang out of the way, then attacked the Graveler with a Wind attack.

"Razor wind," groaned Ravi. "High chance of a critical hit, but isn't too effective against your Graveler." Ravi winced in pain as he got up, using Gengar as a cane.

It looked as if the match was in the bag. Dustin launched a Magnitude attack, which slammed full force into the Pokemon, causing it to stagger. Then Dustin used his Rollout again, managing a hit this time.

The Ghost Pokemon all seemed very anticipating, the Ghastly moving about and throwing their purple-ish light around. The feline Pokemon sprang from Dustin, and used a Quick Attack, but to little avail as Dustin grabbed it with his four strong arms, lifting it up, then slamming it down again.

Kelvin called Dustin off, and reached for an empty Pokeball. Biting his lip, he tossed it at the Pokemon. The device sucked it in, and started rolling on the ground, as the Pokemon tried to break out. Could he actually catch this Pokemon that he'd never seen before?

The Pokeball stopped rolling suddenly, and made a _ping_ sound. Kelvin gasped faintly, picking it up, and marveling, until a groan from Ravi brought him back to the world.

The Ghastly and Haunter all gathered together, as if they were saying farewell. Kelvin wondered why, until Gengar tugged on Ravi's belt, detaching a Pokeball. Ravi gaped.

"You want to go with us?"

The Gengar nodded.

"Oh. Good. I always wanted a Gengar." Ravi petted the Gengar's spikey head. "Ouch, my arm hurts, the sooner we get to that town, the better."

Kelvin laughed, his lethargy gone, and recalled Dustin. They had a town to get to.

* * *

DarkFlameWarrior: Sorry for not updating sooner! I hope you liked the chapter! 


	10. Sharla

Hm? No. The Pokemon isn't exactly made up, it's just not from Kanto, as we say.

And it's not hard to guess what it is either.

**MagiMagikarp!**

Chapter Ten 

Kelvin groaned and closed his eyes again. He was sooooo tired. Turns out adrenaline has an effect of siphoning off "future energy" to use at that point, resulting in a state of "_very_ tired". He wouldn't be surprised if it also included "very hungry", seeing how his stomach was declaring war on his midsection.

Groggily, he got off the bed and got dressed, quickly (as quickly as some sleepy-headed person could), and headed downstairs to snatch some breakfast before visiting Ravi in the city's hospital. Hopefully Ravi would be alright, and he _should_ be alright, as the injuries were not life-threatening in any way. The worst thing would be an infection, but that too Kelvin doubted.

The breakfast was omelette, which Kelvin had never eaten before, and he found it rather good, until he tried putting some pepper on. Turns out he didn't like the taste. So his land-loving Pokemon ended up sharing the rest of the rather big omelette, while Kelvin chugged down water with Kari. The Magikarp wasn't too fond of the pepper either, but Dustin and Aria seemed to love it, taking a lot more than Arielle did.

Kelvin recalled his Pokemon, then approached Nurse Joy. He'd given her the Pokeball containing the mysterious Pokemon they had battled yesterday, and was anxious to hear how it was doing.

"Oh. It's doing fine, but I had to isolate it from the other Pokemon. It has a ferocious temper. What is it?"

He told her that he didn't know.

Nurse Joy looked surprised. "The Pokedex didn't recognize it? Oh, you must not have it upgraded to the National Pokedex." At Kelvin's confused look, she explained. "The 151 Pokemon we know, that is Bulbasaur to Mew, are part of the 'Kanto Region'. However, Kanto is not the only region of Pokemon there is, there are the Johto and Hoenn Regions. We don't see many Pokemon of those regions here, so most of the Pokdexes don't have the National Pokedex. Makes them cheaper to make, you see. But I can upgrade yours for free on the account of you having an out-region Pokemon."

"Thanks," Kelvin said, handing her the Pokedex. She pushed it into a slot in the computer, and starting clicking away on the keyboard. A bar appeared on the screen, reading "Downloading Johto Region". While the bar began filling up, Nurse Joy went into an adjoining room, and came back with the Pokeball containing the Pokemon, giving it back to Kelvin.

About five minutes later, the computer beeped, and the Pokedex slid out. Nurse Joy handed it to Kelvin. "Now we can see what kind of Pokemon it is," she told him excitedly.

Gingerly, Kelvin released the mysterious Pokemon, and also released Dustin, just in case. The black and white Pokemon eyed the Graveler warily. Kelvin pointed the Pokedex at it, and when the Pokedex started speaking, the Pokemon jumped, startled.

"Absol. The Disaster Pokemon. Absol are rarely seen, and tend to live in the high mountains, venturing down only when it senses a natural disaster coming, causing people to misinterpret it as the bringer of disaster. Absol stand in the moonlight to restore their energy, and studies show that they often play in the snow of their habitats when a natural disaster is not near."

An Absol, huh? Interesting. Kelvin tapped one of the keys for more information.

"Absol is a Dark-type Pokemon. It's sharp senses can tell when there are changes in the sky and land, thus enabling it to predict danger. It has a life-span of over 100 years."

"What's a Dark type?" Kelvin asked Nurse Joy.

"Dark Pokemon? It's just like a regular type, like Fire and Ground. One of the newer ones. Dark Pokemon aren't affected by Psychic attacks at all, but are weak to Fighting and Bug attacks. You don't see many pure-Dark Pokemon, I think. Most of them are part-Dark."

Kelvin recalled Dustin; the Absol's wariness was permeating the air, and he didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with his new Pokemon.

"Hi. I'm Kelvin," he introduced himself. The Absol's eyes narrowed. "Um. I'm going to be your trainer."

The Dark Pokemon simply eyed him. Evidently, it didn't trust him.

"Um, Nurse Joy? How can I tell if it's a male or a female?" Kelvin queried, not wanting to name his new acquaintance with a wrong name.

"Let me see." Nurse Joy typed a little more on the computer. After a while, she nodded. "This one is female."

"May I name you?" he asked the Absol. She glared. Kelvin, not knowing if that meant a yes or a no, continued. "Is 'Sharla' okay?"

Those dark-red eyes surveyed him again, and to his utter amazement, the Absol nodded.

Holding back his sigh of relief, Kelvin made to leave, not wishing to recall Sharla to her Pokeball. The Absol followed him to the door, and watched the abundance of traffic with more than just a little wariness.

"Don't worry, Sharla. They won't hurt you at all," Kelvin assured her. Sharla didn't seem to take his assurance to heart, but she did follow him down the street towards the hospital. Upon entering the white building, she crouched defensively, and Kelvin had to reassure her that nobody was going to hurt her.

They came upon the room that Ravi was currently. Kelvin sighed, and opened the door.

Something fell on him. Something big, and purple and spiky...

"Gengar!" came Ravi's voice. "That's Kelvin! Don't you recognize him?"

Groggily, Kelvin got up. Gengar?

Sharla had crouched, and was about to spring at the Ghost Pokemon. Kelvin hastily told her that the Gengar was no threat. She eyed him again, then settled down.

"How come Gengar's here?" Kelvin asked, curious. "Didn't his Pokeball disappear into thin air to that PC place?" Kelvin didn't understand what a PC was anyway.

Ravi laughed, still in bed (though he didn't seem to enjoy being bed-ridden). "I wanted Gengar with me, so he wouldn't cause trouble back at my family's breeding facility, so I asked to exchange Magnemite for him. However-" Ravi continued as Kelvin's gaze fell upon Magnemite, "there was a spot of trouble then. You see, Squirt and Gengar became really good buddies, and starting pulling pranks on my Kadabra, and I couldn't sleep for half the night."

"You have a Kadabra?"

"Yeah. She wasn't too pleased about the Ghost addition to my team, and asked if she could go back." Ravi sighed as Squirt popped up on the bed. "She never really liked Squirt either."

"Squirtle Squirt Squirtle," the Water Pokemon protested, and Ravi smiled.

"Yes, I know, little buddy, it's not your fault." Ravi looked back at Kelvin. "I see you have that new Pokemon. What is it?"

"An Absol. A Dark type, that's why the Ghosts couldn't really affect her. I decided to call her Sharla."

"Interesting." Ravi watched Gengar edge away from the door.

Kelvin suddenly remembered something. "Hey, Ravi, when we first saw Sharla, she had this weird aura around her. It's gone now... do you know what that might have been?"

"Oh," Ravi said dismissively. "One of the Ghosts must have laid a Curse on her."

"A Curse?" Kelvin asked nervously.

"Yeah, it's a new attack. Curse works differently for Ghost Pokemon than other types, though. It takes away half the HP to lay a Curse on their target. Of course, since Sharla's a Dark type, as you say, it probably wasn't as effective as it could have been." Ravi pondered on this thought. "I should have known about the Dark type. My cousin mentioned it a while ago... had this Dark type called an Umbreon."

"Umbreon?" Kelvin felt foolish asking all these questions. "What's that?"

"It's one of the evolved forms of Eevee." At Kelvin's very confused looked, Ravi elaborated. "My uncle says that Eevee has three standard, stone-evolving forms, which you should know, but it also has two more friendship-evolving forms. An Espeon evolves when it has a strong bond with its trainer, and evolves during the daytime. An Umbreon evolves with a strong bond during nighttime."

Kelvin's brain was having fun processing all this information. At school, he'd thought that the Pokemon world was vast, and very hard to keep track of already. Now this; more Pokemon! It was a really good thing he had an upgraded Pokedex. Which reminded him that he could use his Pokedex to see what an Umbreon was.

Taking out the device, Kelvin searched through for the species "Umbreon", and came up with a black Pokemon that had yellow circles on it. It also had dark red eyes, like Sharla did.

Before he could have time to get more information about the Umbreon, the door burst open (sending Sharla back with a hiss, and putting a scowl on Gengar's face), and a whole bunch of doctors swarmed in to check on Ravi. Kelvin flattened himself against the wall, and tried to quiet down Sharla, who was acting up again.

"No, they won't hurt you at all. Do you want to go back in your Pokeball? It'll be quieter there." Sharla gave him her consent, and he recalled her. Putting her Pokeball back on his belt, Kelvin muffled his laughter as he heard Ravi's protests, and more than one doctor shrieked as Gengar popped out of seemingly nowhere.

hr (which means to insert a horizontal rule here)

Later that day, Ravi was finally released from the hospital, and they set off quickly for the next city. Kelvin had taken Kari out again, and the Magikarp was happily bobbing about in his arms, seemingly anticipating the journey. Ravi was muttering something about "deranged doctors".

To pass time, Ravi actually explained to Kelvin what the PC was. It was an interesting, and cool aspect, until Kelvin thought about where his PC Pokemon would pop out.

"Oh. They go to where you got your Pokedex, for the most part, but you can change that." Ravi shrugged, and reached for Kelvin's Pokedex. "Do you want me to change it? I'll redirect it to my family's breeding facility."

Kelvin readily agreed; he didn't want to send any of his Pokemon back to Syra.

Ravi did the stuff on the Pokedex, then took out his cell phone. "I'm calling them, just to tell them," he explained. "They assume all the Pokemon popping out are mine."

About half an hour later, Ravi closed his cell phone. "Well. They're sure having fun back there without me," he announced.

"Why?" Kelvin asked.

"Oh. Some of the Pokemon are missing me, and they almost forgot that someone had to take over the duties I used to do." Ravi flashed a smile. "That was funny; they almost forgot to lead the Tauros to a new grazing pasture, and the grass was nearly gone by the time they remembered... and the place started to stink a little."

Kelvin didn't wish to think about it.

"One more thing; my folks wanted me to drop by; they wanted to meet you too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I guess I will have to pay them a visit. It's not too far from here..."

"Well," Kelvin started, "it's not like there's anything else to do. I suppose I will..."

"Great. Now I don't have to deal with my crazy family by myself!" Ravi beamed. "That's good. Now let's get a move on."

hr 

DarkFlameWarrior: Did you like that? Oh, I know it sounds all weird in the end, the family thing. Sorry about that, it's poorly written. And this chapter isn't that exciting. Don't worry, there'll be more in the next chapter.


	11. The Breeding Farm

Oooh, I have positive reports from the last chapter! But now, to say a few things:

tea: Dark types are weak to Dragon-type attacks. It's one of the only two kinds of attacks they're weak against. Just to tell you. I'm very glad you're following this story.

TheWyldeWestWynd: I'll take a chance on my life, right now, I'm trying to give him a balanced team. It's not working very well, you see. He already has three Pokemon weak to Electricity.

Panze AKA GoldYoshi/ Missingno: Yeah, I already had a comment about that attack thing. I was too lazy to change it winces. I know Absol is from Hoenn, yes, but I didn't say it wasn't. It's not supposed to be around the region Kelvin is in, that's all. I didn't say it was in Johto or Kanto.

**MagiMagikarp!**

Chapter Eleven 

Haste, to say, wasn't fast enough to get them to the next town before nightfall. Ravi seemed rather cheerful about this, and set up camp, gladly exclaiming that his "foresite" had been correct.

And indeed it was, in the fact that they wouldn't get there this day. Therefore, the two had bought some provisions. This included a bag of marshmallows to eat for dinner, as neither of them could cook. There were also some cold sandwiches, and numerous water bottles.

Kelvin took a bite out of his squished sandwich, wishing that he hadn't stuck it at the bottom of his meager pack. Ravi took pity on him, and gave him another one. Sharla was eating a fish that Aria had caught, but that Kari had spotted in the fast-running river they camped close to. The Absol seemed a little more relaxed in the forest, though it was not her natural habitat.

Kari was doing swimming exercises, i.e. swimming against the current. Dustin was positioned a few meters downstream, should Kari loose the battle against the river. Arielle was hovering nervously, taking bites out of the berries they'd found.

Squirt and Gengar were in a tree, for some reason, while Ravi's Growlithe lay at his trainer's site, contentedly eating fish and berries. Ravi had not taken out his Magikarp, though he expressed wishes for the fish to evolve into the mighty Gyarados, and his Magnemite was levitating above his head, emitting sparks. The Weepinbell was by the stream, taking in water, and also making sure that Kari wouldn't be swept away by the treacherous current.

They had a fire going, lit by Ravi's Growlithe. The moon had begun to show itself, a tiny sliver in the sky, but it didn't illuminate much. Kelvin shivered, and tucked into his sleeping bag, finishing off his sandwich. He had a bad feeling about this.

Sharla seemed spooked now. She constantly moved her head, and quickly finished her fish.

"What's wrong?" Ravi asked, his voice very low.

"I don't know," whispered Kelvin, "but something's out there."

Dustin snatched Kari out of the water, and the Pokemon gathered together, obviously sensing the danger. Sharla had settled into a crouching position this time, her fur standing on an end. Kelvin wasn't sure what the danger might be, and Ravi sure didn't seem very confident now either.

And then everything was fine.

Kelvin blinked. Was it just him, or had he thought there was something dangerous out there? Ravi looked confused too, as did most of the Pokemon.

Sharla, however, bounded straight up into the tree, snarling angrily. Kelvin found out why later when Squirt dropped out of the tree, and Ravi's mischievous Gengar drifted down, avoiding Sharla's teeth.

"Squirt!" Ravi scolded. "You should know better than that! And you too Gengar, don't scare us like that!"

Gengar gave a laugh, one that was cut short as Sharla charged again. Squirt looked sad. "Squirtle Squirt!"

"Just don't do it again," Ravi told his Squirtle, then looked at Gengar, who was getting chased by more than Sharla now.

"I see why your Kadabra didn't like Gengar," Kelvin commented, rather dryly.

"Well, yeah. I see too." Ravi looked quite furious with the Ghost Pokemon. "Gengar, if you're going to behave like that, I'll keep you in your Pokeball."

The Gengar didn't seem to be threatened at all; rather, the Ghost leered at Ravi. Ravi chucked Gengar's Pokeball at it, sucking it into the device.

Sharla gingerly stepped back to Kelvin's side. Ravi, noticing this, commented that Sharla seemed to trust Kelvin a lot.

"Yeah," mumbled Kelvin. "I think she likes me now."

"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?" Ravi moved into his sleeping bag. "I wonder if we should be on the lookout for other danger, though."

"If there's other danger, the Pokemon will sense it," Kelvin replied, settling down in his own sleeping bag. "I suppose Sharla will have a fit and wake us up." The Absol growled at this statement; obviously she understood what had been said.

"What about Kari?" Ravi queried, as Dustin settled the Magikarp next to Kelvin.

"Magi Magi." Kari seemed rather sleepy. Kelvin smiled, and recalled the Magikarp to his Pokeball. He also recalled Arielle, who looked tired as well. Ravi's Magnemite had fallen asleep next to Ravi, snuggled in the side of the sleeping bag, while the Weepinbell and the Growlithe settled close to the fire.

Aria was dozing, but it was obvious that she and Dustin were on alert. Feeling much more comfortable with his Pokemon about, Kelvin quickly fell asleep.

hr

* * *

Kelvin woke to the sound of birds cawing. Aria was looking irritably at the nearest tree, in which a fat Pidgey resided, cawing hoarsely. Ravi was rubbing his eyes, and so was Squirt. Kelvin marveled how they were both doing the same thing at the same time. They even stopped at the same time, and then blinked twice simultaneously.

Well, Ravi and Squirt had been together for a long time.

Dustin was alert, and so was Sharla. Kelvin sat up, ridding himself of the sleeping bag, and rolling it up messily before stashing it into its bag. The tiny Magnemite was hovering in the air, its single eye blinking sleepily. Ravi's Growlithe was nudging his trainer.

"I don't think we got enough sleep..." groaned Ravi. "Oh, Squirt, next time don't let Gengar do that."

"Squirtle..." The turtle Pokemon looked crestfallen. Kelvin suppressed a laugh. It was obvious that Ravi wasn't seriously reprimanding his Squirtle, though the turtle Pokemon did not seem to realize this. Mischievous, but naïve.

They had marshmallows for breakfast, squished ones (Growlithe had rolled on them during the night), and then they packed up. Ravi did seem quite reluctant to get going, but Kelvin, who was rather interested in seeing a breeding farm, set a rather fast pace. Ravi reluctantly kept up, so they wouldn't get hopelessly lost.

Aria was flying above the two. She hadn't wished to stay in her Ultra Ball, and Kelvin knew why; it was a great day for flying. The sun was up, but slightly obscured by clouds so it was not too bright, and the winds were not too strong.

Ravi seemed rather confident that they would reach his home today; he was trying to lag, but Kelvin didn't notice his attempts. Ravi kept running his hand through his auburn hair. Kelvin didn't really notice that either.

They stopped once for a lunch break, and finished off the sandwiches and marshmallows. Ravi looked glum about that as well. Evidently it meant they weren't spending any more time on the road.

Eventually, they came upon a rise, and looked down upon the huge breeding farm, with Pokemon in every corner. Kelvin gasped, and didn't hear Ravi's groan as the door opened, and a large woman rushed out, hitching up her skirts so she wouldn't trip. This must be Ravi's mother.

"Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaviiiiiiiiiiii!" she squealed, reaching them, and grabbing Ravi into a bear hug. Kelvin could hear Ravi's muffled protests as she kissed his face and all over. He could also see Ravi's ears reddening.

The door opened again, and a not-so-large woman, came out. She looked exasperated when she saw the mom and her son, and came up to greet Kelvin.

"Hello. You must be Kelvin," she said. "I'm Melissa."

"Hi." Kelvin didn't know what else to say.

Ravi had finally broken free of his mother's embrace, and was trying to wipe his face without her seeing. "I hope you'll have a fun time here," Ravi muttered, and Kelvin barely caught the rest of the sentence, "because I won't."

It was starting to become a bit obvious why Ravi hadn't wanted to come.

hr

* * *

DarkFlameWarrior: Ah, short chapter, sorry. I've been playing MapleStory of late, and it's not exactly that great, you know, but it's okay. I promise I'll get a better chapter up soon, though school's starting, and that might be a little hard... 


	12. Terrible Gabrielle

To everyone: I suppose I accidentally misread my Pokemon match-up chart. Dark types aren't weak to Dragon... they're weak to fighting and bug. I'm correcting that...

About the "hr", that's supposed to be HTML for the horizontal rule, but it didn't turn out as I thought it would.

Kari's not evolving any time soon, to disappoint you all. The point is that the story's name after Magikarp, not Gyarados. Don't worry; Kari will evolve at some point.

All right, now for the longer chapter I promised. It's time to torture Ravi.

**MagiMagikarp!**

**Chapter 12**

Ravi's family had settled Kelvin into the guest room, which was the nicest room Kelvin had ever stayed in before. There was a comfortable, warm fan, a big window, lots of space, a desk complete with swivel chair, and lots of other things that Kelvin never knew existed or could be put in a room. There was also a ceiling fan.

Kelvin's and Ravi's Pokemon were playing happily in the yard with the other Pokemon, except for Sharla, who kept to the shadows, and glared at any stranger that came near. Ravi had told everyone to keep an eye out for Gengar, so the mischievous Ghost type wouldn't pull any more pranks. "Keeping an eye" on the Gengar wasn't exactly easy, though, as the Ghost type could disappear at will.

Meanwhile, Ravi had retired to his own room. Kelvin didn't really mind, as Ravi's sister Melissa had taken to showing him around the vast breeding farm.

"Here are the Ponyta, we breed them for speed and agility. I just don't understand why most of them don't want to evolve; we only have one Rapidash."

"Lots of Tauros here. We help protect them, since the Safari Zone's overrun with poachers."

"Here's the incubator. You see all those eggs? They're almost going to hatch. This one's starting to crack, so we put it in the special spot, and see, my little brother's watching it."

Melissa didn't seem so bad, Kelvin thought, so he didn't really think that Ravi's family was too big of a problem. The mother was a bit over-reactive, that's all. Ravi's father worked out in the fields with the Pokemon, and seemed rather decent. Ravi's two younger brothers and three younger sisters, not including Melissa, didn't seem bad either.

So, for Kelvin, it was a spectacular day. He learned so much about Pokemon breeding he thought his head might explode... but then he reminded himself that was impossible. Melissa was currently showing him their small Kanghaskan herd.

"We're a trusted breeding farm, so the Safari Zone gave us some of these. They're endangered, you see, and their offspring grow slowly, so they need a lot of protection and nourishment."

Kelvin was absolutely fascinated by everything, and was rather disappointed when dinnertime was called, because Melissa wouldn't show him around after dinner.

Ravi emerged from his room to join the vast family for dinner. It was also one of the best dinners Kelvin had ever eaten, and he had to suppress a belch. His waist was feeling rather tight, and he felt like he had to go to the bathroom. (well, then he did, of course, but there's no point of saying that)

Ravi's mother was talking. "Ravi, dearie, Gabrielle will be coming tomorrow. You came earlier than we expect."

At this, Ravi blanched, and quickly excused himself from the table. Kelvin followed suite, hoping that he didn't seem too rude, and followed Ravi up the stairs.

"Who's Gabrielle?" he asked curiously when he caught up with Ravi.

"You don't wanna know," Ravi muttered, still looking pale.

"Ravi? Are you alright?" Kelvin was rather concerned; his friend's complexion didn't seem very healthy.

Ravi took a deep breath. "I'm fine. I just--" He looked at Kelvin. "Gabrielle is that...horrible girl that my mother thinks is just right for me." He took another breath. "My mother thinks that she should get me engaged to someone already. I'm the oldest, and it's sort of an old tradition. The problem is, I don't want to get married at all, and I don't like Gabrielle. After all, I'm only fourteen! She's _nineteen!_"

It seemed rather interesting, Kelvin thought, this old tradition. Why in the world would someone want to get married so young?

"Will you help me hide from her?" Ravi asked?

Kelvin shrugged.

"Please? I really don't want to have to meet up with her," Ravi pleaded. "I really hate having her around, she chases me all over the breeding farm, and--"

"Alright, I'll help," Kelvin replied hurriedly, having never seen Ravi so agitated. "But how?"

"Distract her, block her, anything!" Ravi mumbled miserably. "Just buy me time to get away."

Kelvin nodded. "Okay. I'll try my best."

Ravi gave him a shaky smile, and headed up the rest of the stairs to his room.

* * *

Kelvin woke up early the next morning, and found that Sharla had snuggled into bed beside him. How the Dark Pokemon had gotten there, he had no idea, but she seemed very keen on staying with him after she woke up.

He took a shower before going down to breakfast. Ravi was already there, looking rather pale, and wolfing down food. Kelvin recognized the food to be pancakes, and started wolfing it down as well. It was extraordinarily delicious.

Ravi bolted the first thing he was done, leaving Kelvin to finish his own stack of pancakes. Sharla was eating some of the Pokemon food provided, which must be very good indeed. Kelvin poured some more syrup over his pancakes. There was no need to hurry yet.

When he finally finished his meal, Kelvin went outside to see Ravi talking to Squirt and Gengar. Kelvin rushed over. "What's going on?"

"I'm asking Gengar if he'll pull tricks on Gabrielle," Ravi replied, quietly. "And I'm really glad he will. I think he's really going to like it. And I asked Squirt to help him."

Kelvin didn't doubt Gengar's ability to pull pranks, but he didn't think it prudent to let Squirt join in. "Wouldn't that be too obvious that you're trying to avoid her?"

Ravi scoffed. "Of course! When have I _not _avoided that pest? Maybe if she knows it's me behind all this, she'll stay farther away. Though I doubt it."

Just then, Ravi's mother started babbling really loudly, and Ravi started. "Drat, she must be here already. I'm going into hiding." And he bolted off again.

Kelvin thought himself looking really stupid, standing there as Ravi's mother, and a girl Kelvin assumed was Gabrielle came out of the house. Gengar had disappeared, and so had Squirt. Sharla growled in the direction of the girl.

She was actually quite pretty, with golden hair flowing down her back. Her cheeks were freckled, and her eyes were a light blue. Despite her good looks, Kelvin didn't think that she was as docile as she looked.

"Kelvin! Where's my son Ravi?"

"I don't know," Kelvin told her. "He just ran off."

Gabrielle got a glint in her eye. Sharla growled a little more. "I'll find him," she said, in a tone that made Kelvin shiver.

But he had his word to keep to Ravi. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked, not knowing exactly _what _to do.

"I'm sure," she replied in that exact tone.

Sharla growled, louder this time, and she looked down at the noise. "Oh, but who is this?" she asked, in a completely different tone, one that was completely baby fondling and the such. Kelvin didn't like this voice either. "An Absol? She's so cute!"

"Her name's Sharla," he told her, absently.

"Sharla? It fits!" she exclaimed, in that fake-ish voice. She started patting Sharla on the head.

"Um, I don't think you should do that," Kelvin warned, seeing Sharla tense.

"Why--"

The Absol sprung forward, knocking her to the ground, and into the mud. She screamed as Sharla hissed and swiped close to her face with the scythe, before backing off, growling menacingly.

"Sharla!" Kelvin scolded, half-heartedly. The Absol paid him no mind, keeping her focus on Gabrielle, who had stood up.

"Oh, no, you dumb animal," she snarled. "I won't have that." Gabrielle pulled out a Luxury Ball. "Get that thing, Queenie!"

A blue Pokemon burst out, and howled. Sharla tensed.

"Hyper Beam!"

The Nidoqueen started building up the golden light in her mouth, and Sharla dashed in, slashing a devastating strike with her scythe before scratching the Nidoqueen, distracting it, and stopping it from building up the Hyper Beam.

Gabrielle didn't seem to take this very well, and commanded her Nidoqueen to use Double Kick, which Sharla neatly evaded. The Absol put another claw into the Nidoqueen's face, and then suddenly jumped back and howled into the sky.

Kelvin, confused, made to take out his Pokedex, and realized that he'd left it in his room. Cursing, he commanded Sharla to use her Quick Attack as Queenie starting building up another Hyper Beam.

Sharla didn't do as he commanded, though, seemingly focusing elsewhere.

"Sharla, use your Quick Attack before it's too late!" Kelvin shouted.

The Absol seemed to come to, quickly ramming into the Nidoqueen right before the golden beam burst from the Ground-Poison type's mouth, avoiding the attack. The Hyper Beam struck one of the fences, and the Tauros inside started to stampede. Kelvin gulped.

It wasn't the least of his worries. Sharla staggered from the Nidoqueen, and Kelvin saw purplish bubbles coming from her mouth. She had been poisoned by Nidoqueen's Poison Point.

Gabrielle smiled smugly, and commanded Queenie to finish Sharla off with a Focus Punch. But before the Nidoqueen could act, an attack, coming from seemingly nowhere, slammed into the Nidoqueen. Queenie, surprised, didn't even have time to cry out before she fainted.

Kelvin, at a loss, didn't know what had happened. But evidently Gabrielle did.

"Darn! That darned Future Sight attack!" she howled, recalling her Nidoqueen.

_Future Sight? Oh, that's a Psychic type attack,_ Kelvin thought. _I didn't know that Sharla could use that. I suppose that's why she didn't immediately use Quick Attack_.

Gathering Sharla into the house, Kelvin was immediately confronted by Melissa, who noticed Sharla's poisoning. "Follow me," she commanded, leading him to a cupboard.

Opening it, she selected an antidote, and tried to give to Sharla, but the Absol slashed at her. It wasn't until Kelvin took the antidote and offered it that Sharla accepted it. Kelvin watched the purple bubbling fade away, and thanked Melissa.

"No problem," she answered. "Were you helping my brother?"

"Ravi? I said I would help distract that Gabrielle..."

Melissa smiled. "I know. He hates Gabrielle. But she's really infatuated with him, completely mooning over Ravi. I don't see how that's really possible, with that attitude of hers, but I help him hide when I can."

"Oh." Kelvin didn't know what to say. "I think I'll go..."

"You should. She'll be looking for Ravi with her Arcanine right now."

Kelvin hurried out of the house, and immediately spotted Gabrielle, screaming. Ravi was sprinting as fast as he could towards the house, carrying Squirt in his arms, but she and the Arcanine weren't following. Actually, the Arcanine seeming to have fainted. But Gabrielle wasn't screaming about that, now was she?

Ravi nearly bowled over Kelvin, and they both entered the house, Ravi panting. Squirt slid to the ground, and squirted a little water over his trainer to cool him off.

"What's going on?" Kelvin queried. "Why is she screaming?"

"Oh. Gengar." Ravi managed a short laugh. "He really scared her."

The two headed upstairs, watching the scenario through Ravi's bedroom window. Gabrielle was seemingly running from nothing, still screaming her head off.

"I hope Gengar doesn't show himself, though. She'll understand then," Ravi commented fervently. "I told him already, but I hope he remembers."

Kelvin didn't think there would be any problem with Gengar forgetting something that would help him terrorize someone, but didn't bother pointing that out.

Ravi sat on the bed. "Man, she tires me out. I really hate it when she's here, but at least she stops chasing me all around after the first day. I don't understand her. She's almost of two completely different natures."

"I don't get it either." Kelvin recalled their battle, how Gabrielle was so... different just the minute before. "Is she acting?"

"I don't think so," Ravi replied. "I really don't think so."

The screaming suddenly stopped, and the two of them dashed to the window again. There was still no sign of Gengar, but Gabrielle seemed to have... changed. She stood tall, and Kelvin couldn't exactly tell from here, but were her eyes glowing?

* * *

DarkFlameWarrior: Um. It's not something completely supernatural, okay? Well, I hope you liked the chapter, hope it wasn't too bad. I'm going to try to get the next one up before my school starts (August 22), but I might not be able to. 


	13. The Village

Thanks for the review, everyone. Oh, and Fuzzle, I think DFW-chan is more appropriate. That should also answer B.C. Company's question, unless you don't know the basic Japanese, and if that's the case, just look online.

Now, to everyone that says "Gabrielle is scary", there's a reason why, and to everyone that like Gabrielle's butt getting kick, I'm glad you do! Though this "Gabrielle" thing won't last much longer. I'm not going to torture Ravi _that_ much.

For everyone that says Kelvin's parents are extreme, let's just say he was an accident that they didn't want to take care of, but couldn't get rid of, and leave it at that.

And Sharla doesn't wish to date you, Chaos Absoru Typhoon Absol. She hardly even knows you, and would like to keep at Kelvin's side. Meanwhile, you can try to be friends.

**MagiMagikarp!**

**Chapter Thirteen** (no, it's not an unlucky number)

"That's not good," Ravi muttered under his breath, "though it sure is something new to me."

Kelvin, confused, looked for any sign of Gengar, or the other Pokemon they had left out there. He spotted Aria and Arielle in the treetops, and Dustin posing as a rock somewhere downhill. Kari was undoubtly still in the river, swimming, so Kelvin didn't have to worry about the Magikarp. And Sharla was here with him.

Ravi was running his hand through his auburn hair again, which Kelvin found extremely distracting. Then again, it was evident Ravi was nervous.

Underneath them, Gabrielle looked up with those red-glowing eyes, and saw them peering through the window. Ravi gulped, and slammed it shut, before the two of them, with Sharla, took off as fast as they could.

"Wherearewegoing?" Kelvin asked hurriedly, as they dashed down the stairs.

"Ihavenoidea!"

Sharla passed both of them on their flight down the stairs, and hissed at Gabrielle, who had entered through the back door.

Ravi cursed thoroughly and viciously under his breath, while Kelvin spotted something that seemed like heat waves coming from behind Gabrielle. The waves dispersed to form Gengar, who was pulling at Gengar, to no avail.

Gabrielle spoke, but it wasn't in her wishy-washy voice, it was the hard, cold voice that Kelvin had heard earlier.

"Ravi."

Kelvin shivered.

"You've evaded me for a long time."

Ravi was backing away, very slowly.

"Gabrielle, is there something wrong?"

"Gabrielle?" The red-glowing eyes flashed, and she laughed. "There is no Gabrielle here."

"Then who are you?" Ravi demanded, his voice firm despite his obvious fears.

"Gabrielle is this girl I am possessing, correct? Then she is surely a pitiful creature. I've been looking for a better host for a long time, and I've found you, Ravi."

Sharla was growling louder, but Gabrielle – or whatever the creature possessing her was – took no notice of her. The red eyes were fixed upon Ravi.

Ravi was still inching backward, and Kelvin heard someone thump down the stairs. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Squirt cautiously coming down.

"Well," Ravi told the possessed Gabrielle, "you're not going to have me!" Then he bolted backwards, towards the front door.

Gabrielle lunged forward, but Sharla smacked into her, and knocked her down. There were shrieks, then something rose from Gabrielle, and started after Ravi. It looked like a heat wave...

Like Gengar had…

Kelvin dashed forward, pulling a Pokeball from his belt, and throwing it at the heat wave. The device sucked it in with a red beam, and fell to the ground. Kelvin started to sigh in relief, until he saw that the Pokeball was shaking vigorously.

The ball burst open, and revealed the Ghost.

"_Haunter!_" the purple Pokemon howled, rushing at Kelvin, who ducked. He wouldn't let the Ghost posses him!

Sharla leapt at the Haunter, and somehow pinned it down. The Haunter seemed to be unable to defend against the Dark Pokemon, and continued it's howling. Kelvin got shakily to his feet, and picked up the Pokeball again, but before he could throw it, a movement caught his eye.

Gabrielle was stirring.

Kelvin dashed to her side, though it wasn't exactly something he would have consciously done, and helped her up. She looked at him through dazed eyes. "Wha---?" she asked.

"Nothing," Kelvin started to reply, but was interrupted by another "_Haunter!" _from the struggle on the floor. The howl seemed to snap Gabrielle from her daze, and she saw clearly the Haunter pinned down by Sharla.

She gasped, and fumbled in her skirt until she came up with a Luxury Ball.

"Return, Haunter!" she cried, and the ball sucked the Haunter in.

Sharla eyed her with a suspicious eye, then lay down.

"What happened?" Kelvin asked.

Gabrielle turned to him. "I--"

"Yeah, what happened?" Ravi asked, coming back into the room. "I hear Pokeball sounds."

Gengar moved towards him, as if checking that Ravi wasn't possessed.

Gabrielle looked at them all, then sat down suddenly on the floor.

"That Haunter, I caught it at a Graveyard somewhere. I thought that it was so cool and cute." She sniffed. "But I think it was also an ancient Haunter, because it possessed me. It kept saying it was looking for a better host, and I wasn't sure what it meant..."

Ravi nodded. "I see." He looked slightly pale. Ravi turned to Gengar.

"How old are you? You won't be possessing me any time soon, will you?" he asked the Ghost.

Gengar laughed, and shook its spiky head.

"Good. Then I won't have to worry about it."

Kelvin wasn't so sure. "What should we do about that Haunter, though?" he asked.

"Feed it to Sharla," suggested Ravi. At Kelvin's appalled look, he added, "No, not really, I was just joking..."

Gengar snatched the Pokeball from Gabrielle's hands, and then vanished into thin air. Gabrielle gave a little shriek as Gengar did so, then started looking frantically around for the Luxury Ball that held the Haunter.

Ravi looked at Kelvin and shrugged. "I wouldn't know what Gengar is going to do," he offered, as if that were of help. "He's a Ghost, after all."

At this moment, Ravi's mother (named Abigail, since I haven't told you all yet) entered the room. "Oh, Ravi dear, you're finally talking things out!" she exclaimed. Ravi glanced at Kelvin again. "You'll be friends now, right?"

"Um... maybe."

"Wonderful! I will make the announcement to the family!"

And she bustled off through the back door.

"Oh, dear," Ravi muttered. Gabrielle looked affronted.

"But we _are_ going to be friends, right?" she asked.

"Um..."

"_Are we?_" she pressed. Kelvin carefully avoided Ravi's eye.

"I s'pose."

"That's great. Now you won't avoid me, right?"

"Uh, it depends on—"

Luckily for the flustered Ravi, he was saved having to finish that sentence by the doorbell ringing, and Melissa rushing out to answer it. Sharla growled at the sound.

"Who might that be?" Kelvin asked curiously. "I didn't know anyone else was coming."

"Neither did I."

Gabrielle had went forward to the door.

"Ravi!" Melissa called.

"What!"

"Gabrielle's parents are here!"

"Why!"

"Dunno! They want to see you!"

Ravi, his eyes widening, ducked out the back door, with Sharla at his heels. A few moments later, Melissa came into the room, fuming.

"_Where is he!_" she asked Kelvin, who pointed at the door.

_This might be interesting..._ Kelvin thought as he watched her storm out into the yard, and followed her into the vast compound. Melissa didn't seem to know where to go, but started yelling "RAVI!" at the top of her lungs.

Someone tapped Kelvin on the shoulder.

It was an arm coming from a hedge. Well, it was Ravi's arm, so Kelvin assumed that Ravi was hiding in the hedge.

"What are you doing there?" Kelvin asked out of the corner of his mouth, so Melissa wouldn't hear.

"Hidin'," Ravi told him. "C'mon, let's get outa here."

"Where?"

"The village. Come on!"

And he pulled Kelvin into the hedge.

"What—this—are you crazy!" Kelvin sputtered, as leaves rained on him.

"No."

There seemed to be a stairway. Ravi closed some trapdoor on top of them, and they descended down the stairs to come out in a dark passageway. Ravi flicked out his flashlight.

"Yes, this should get us out."

They traveled through the tunnel, which was rather short, and ended up in another hedge, this one at the front of the house.

Kelvin brushed all the leaves and twigs off of him, and watched Ravi do the same.

"So, where's the village?"

"A little ways down the hill." Ravi set off, and Kelvin followed, not knowing what else to do.

"What are we going to _do_ at the village?"

"Just look around."

"What about our Pokemon?" Kelvin had to ask.

"We have Sharla," Ravi told him.

Sure enough, the Absol was walking next to them, almost at ease with Ravi. Though Kelvin didn't know how Ravi had gotten her into the hedge.

They came into the village, which had a few large buildings, and many small ones. Ravi promptly dragged Kelvin into a shop. They raced out three minutes later when Sharla started snarling at the Hitmonchan that was also in the shop.

From there, they went to the Research Center, which was one of the big buildings. There were many Eggs there in incubators, with signs underneath them. Kelvin hurried over to one.

It was a Kanghaskan Egg. Under the name, it read "This Pokemon is protected by law!"

The Egg was musty brownish grey in color, and entirely unremarkable. Kelvin thought that he would have never been able to distinguish it from dirt, or a large rock.

There were many Kanghaskan eggs, and also a few Lapras eggs, apart from other endangered Pokemon. Kelvin managed to drag himself away from the sight of them and into the next room, which contained fossils of Kabutops and Aerodactyle. Now the fossils, to Kelvin, looked like wood, and he was sure he would have thought they were sticks, if he ever discovered them.

Now, where was everyone? Sharla had seemingly disappeared. Ravi was nowhere to be seen, or so Kelvin thought, until he stumbled into the third room (he could barely see the way because the Aerodactyle fossil was blocking all the signs) and found him there talking to some old guy wearing a white lab coat.

"Oh, that's Kelvin," Ravi said, as an introduction. "He's been traveling with me. And Kelvin, this is Professor Oak."

"Um... hi." Kelvin had no idea how to address a professor.

"Well, hello. I'm glad you meet Ravi here. He's a very energetic young trainer, and it's good for you to be with him. Now, where is my grandson? Gary!"

Ravi took this time to tell Kelvin (under his breath) about Professor Oak, how he was a famous Pokemon researcher known around the world, since Kelvin obviously had no idea who Professor Oak was.

Meanwhile, a young man with spiky brown hair entered the room. "You called, Gramps?"

"Ah, Gary. Ravi's here, and this is his friend, Kelvin. Kelvin, this is my grandson Gary. He's also Ravi's cousin."

Kelvin decided it was best for himself to keep his mouth shut, as he had absolutely _no_ idea how to be formal.

"Hello, Rav. I haven't seen you in a while. How's the matter with that Gabrielle?"

"Do you _have_ to ask?" Ravi muttered.

Gary laughed. "No, but I should be concerned, shouldn't I?"

Sharla came padding into the room, from the doorway Gary had entered. "Sharla!" Kelvin exclaimed, rushing forward to the Absol.

"Oh, so she's yours, is she?" Gary asked. "Got along fine with my Umbreon."

The Umbreon entered the room behind Sharla, and bound up to Gary.

Professor Oak cleared his throat. "Though if I'm not mistaken, Ravi, Gabrielle is at your house, and you have decided to steal away into the village to hide. You should go back, your parents will be worried about you."

Ravi looked at Professor Oak as if he were crazy, but Professor Oak had already turned to Kelvin.

"And may I have a look at that Absol? I have never seen one up close."

"Sure, but she might not like that, Sharla's very edgy around people she doesn't know."

"That's alright," Gary told him. "Gramps is great with Pokemon. Except there's this Muk back at the lab that's he's not so great with."

Professor Oak coughed at that, and knelt by Sharla, who was eying him dangerously. "Easy, girl, I won't hurt you—oof!"

Sharla smacked him with a paw, sending the professor sprawling back. Before Kelvin or Ravi could come forward to help, he was already getting up and reassuring them he was fine.

"Evidently here's another one he's not great with," Gary announced. Kelvin and Ravi laughed.

* * *

DarkFlameWarrior: Ah, boring chapter, sorry if you didn't like it. I didn't even make the deadline. And just to answer a few questions before they're asksed, no, they're not going to meet Ash and everyone else, I just wanted a Professor and I decided that it could just be Professor Oak on some trip. After all, if I have to make up some professor, they'll have to have some plant name. Meanwhile, there was a reference to Gary a while back, when Kelvin caught Sharla, did anyone get it? It's not a _clue_, anyone could have had an Umbreon, just a hint. Besides, I think Gary is a cool character, though I think my portrayel of his character isn't done well (and neither is Oak's).

Now, don't tell me you like the chapter. Seriously.


	14. A Day at the Farm

Well, thanks for not flaming me for getting so unoriginal and putting Gary and Professor Oak in there.

Meanwhile, I'm _not_ a guy (now there's no question), can't you understand that "-chan" means girl? Didn't I say that "DFW-chan" would be more appropriate, thus saying that I'm female? (I did, so don't argue) My penname is still DarkFlameWarrior, I'm just allowing Fuzzle to be lazy and not type out the entire thing. I can't cheat by looking on your profile, B.C. Company, I normally look at the bios of the people that review, and it doesn't say, so I'll just guess you're a girl, and I wouldn't exactly care.

For the age, I'm old enough to legally have an account on this site, plus a little, so I'm _not_ 13, just in case you didn't get that subtle hint.

I'm being really sardonic. Sorry if I offended you.

Kari will play more important roles, sorry about that.

**MagiMagikarp!**

**Chapter Fourteen**

With Professor Oak and Gary with them, Gabrielle did not prove so much of a problem while they ate dinner (since she was observing Gary), and Ravi started to look a little better. Sharla was resting in her Pokeball, after Professor Oak managed to become tentative friends with her. Of course, she never let him do long observations, which upset the Professor.

The dinner was as great as the one the previous day, but the food ran a little short. Kelvin could not understand how someone as old as Professor Oak could eat so much. And he didn't think someone like Gabrielle would devour everything in front of her either.

Gabrielle's parents were here as well, making the table rather cramped. People kept on elbowing each other by accident, and some plates were occasionally knocked off the table. Kelvin put his elbow in Ravi's plate, and got an elbow-full of mashed potatoes as a result. Ravi laughed. So did Gary and Melissa.

Meanwhile, the parents were chatting loudly, and did not notice. Professor Oak was also slipping in advice about Pokemon to Kelvin between bites. Kelvin realized that some Pokemon might not like being confine to their Pokeball, even though the Pokeball recreated a habitat fit for a Pokemon. He also found out that some Pokemon's stats grew differently according to its nature.

Most of all, he learned that Magikarp weren't exactly useless when it came into the field of research. Apparently, they had once been very strong Pokemon, but now they were all "useless". Kelvin, who had hotly debated this "useless" part, had agreed to show Professor Oak how useful Kari was.

So after dinner, they went out to the lake holding lots of Horsea, Seel, and other Water Pokemon. Kelvin released Kari into the water, where the Magikarp splashed happily. Professor Oak knelt by the edge of the lake to observe him.

"Hm. The fins are a little stronger-looking than the normal Magikarp. His coloring is a little lighter as well. I wouldn't know what it would be. Where did you get this one?"

Kelvin, flushing, told him that his parents probably purchased Kari at some fish store.

"Ah. Then they didn't know what they might have gotten. Your Magikarp may be from a completely different part of the region. The coloring on this one is unique to a region past Hoenn, which I've never been to. Never mind that. The Magikarp there are actually a little more useful, I believe. They're also rather rare in that region. Interesting, isn't it?"

Gary broke in. "But I thought those Magikarp also had a white spot around their mouth. This one doesn't have that."

"It doesn't? Well, look at that! Maybe your Magikarp is a lot more unique than I thought!" Professor Oak scooped Kari from the water. "Ah. This one's heavier too. Even though, I wonder why it was in a fish store. A pet store, maybe, but who would want to _eat_ a Magikarp?"

Kelvin wondered that as well. He knew that Magikarp were nothing but scales and bones. And brains.

Ravi made a weird noise, and Kelvin looked at him. "What?"

"Squirt."

"What about-"

The turtle Pokemon pushed Professor Oak into the lake, laughing. Ravi groaned. Kelvin yelped as water splashed on him and Gary. Ravi had backed away.

"Ah! It's rather cold!" Professor Oak exclaimed. "Who is this? Squirt? Oh, you little rascal, why must you do that every time?"

"Squirtle squirt squirt!"

Gary laughed. Ravi shook his head, and muttered, "He does that _every_ time, no matter what I tell him. The professor doesn't seem to mind, at least."

Ravi looked like he would mind a lot if someone pushed him into ice-cold water. Professor Oak clambered onto the shore, and attempted to dry off. Kari was still in the water, bobbing, and seemingly laughing at it all.

Was he?

Was Kari more than the common Magikarp found around here?

He must be, Kelvin decided. And that didn't really matter anyway; to Kelvin, Kari was as special as a Legendary Pokemon.

While Kelvin was pondering all this, Squirt had been chased around by the professor and had simply hopped right back into the water, where Professor Oak stopped his pursuit. Gengar had suddenly appeared from thin air (freaking out a couple of people, I wonder which) in the process. Ravi had to introduce the Ghost/Poison type, and make it apologize, though Gengar didn't seem to mind the admonition. Most unlike Squirt, to whom Ravi's word was law.

Professor Oak was now very interested in Gengar, as it was one of those "rare Pokemon" that were rarely seen in the wild. Ravi looked rather bemused as Gengar drifted right through Professor Oaks' hands, and turned around to grin fiendishly at the astonished Professor.

The sky was darkening rapidly, which was just fine with Gengar, but not so fine with Kelvin, who was rather tired and wanted to sleep. Professor Oak insisted on examining Gengar inside the house, but Gengar simply drifted off into the darkness, and Gary advised him otherwise.

The guest rooms were rather full after accommodating all the visitors, so Kelvin ended up in Ravi's room, on the floor. Ravi had offered him the bed, but Kelvin had declined, saying that he was rather used to a hard floor.

Kari was still in the lake, he remembered; the Magikarp had submerged underwater after Gengar freaked Gary and Professor Oak out. _I hope he's fine. Well, I think Kari's probably having fun_.

* * *

Kelvin woke up rather abruptly, as Ravi tripped over him and landed, sprawling, on the floor. Squirt jumped to Ravi's side, while Kelvin rubbed his injured backside.

"Watch where you go."

"I will... I forgot. Sorry," Ravi offered.

"It HURTS!"

Ravi laughed. "Of course! I'm hurting too." Ravi helped Kelvin up. "I suppose that the family Machamp could give you a nice massage."

"A massage?" Kelvin queried. "I've never had one. Do I need one?"

"Probably not. It's not _that_ bad."

The two of them, headed downstairs. Kelvin reached around his belt and let Sharla out. The Absol bounded down the stairs, and then looked back, as if mocking them for being so slow.

The breakfast was simply oatmeal, as it was rather easy to make a lot of it for the many guest, though there was also a plate of scrambled eggs. Kelvin was stuffed before Ravi had finished cramming the scrambled eggs into his mouth.

They escaped through the back door as they heard Gabrielle coming down the stairs, and Kelvin quickly went to see how Kari was doing. The Magikarp rose to the surface of the water at his call, and happily ate the Pokemon food Ravi had brought out to give the Water Pokemon.

"I get stuck feeding the Pokemon today," Ravi muttered. "Though a lot of them already just eat grass. The Water Pokemon eat the seaweed we planted down there, as well as other things, but we have to make sure they don't eat each other."

"Have they ever?"

"No. They're all too peace-loving. All of these were bred here, so there's no problem taming them a little. It's been a while since we've introduced a wild Pokemon into the farm." Ravi scattered the food on the surface of the water, and Kelvin watched as Pokemon rose to eat the food, or grabbed them with other means, like the tentacles of the Tentacool. He was grateful there wasn't a Tentacruel.

Next they went into the forest area, where bugs descended on Ravi rather quickly as he handed out their food. Seeing Kelvin's incredulous look, Ravi shrugged, and said, "I used to it," as a Beedrill landed on his head.

They met up with Melissa as they went to the volcanic recreation area, where lots of Fire Pokemon were gathered. She had been bringing them water, as water evaporated a little quickly there. It sure didn't help when the Pokemon breathed fire over it.

There were a few Charmander, one Charizard, lots of Ponyta and Rapidash (though Kelvin couldn't tell because they were running around, so he wasn't sure if he counted one more than he ought to have), a few Growlithe and Arcanine, and one Flareon. Ravi nudged him, and pointed out the outlines of two Magmar, hiding in the fire, nearly invisible.

The Fire Pokemon didn't come closer, so Ravi was throwing the food really hard in their direction. Only the Charmander would approach. The rest seemed content in their hot environment.

They passed the grasslands, with some Ponyta and Rapidash from the volcanic place grazing there, as well as many other Pokemon.

Then there was a sharp incline as they climbed the little mountain to where the bird Pokemon all roosted. Aria was there, and greeted Kelvin with a little nudge, and a cry. Ravi threw the food into the air, letting the birds catch it. Then they slid down a slide to the bottom of the mountain.

At this bottom of the mountain, there was barren land, with a lot of rocks. One of the rocks was obviously Dustin. There were numerous other Rock Pokemon, and Kelvin noticed the food Ravi gave them was considerably harder than the other foods.

After this circuit of feeding Pokemon in their natural habitats, Ravi came to a large building housing yet more Pokemon. Dittos were there as well as the Pokemon that lacked the proper habitats out in the farm. Kelvin was interested by the Porygon, which glided up to him and poked him with its point.

As they went towards the house, Sharla came bounding out of nowhere, closely followed by Umbreon. Gary was watching with amusement as Sharla playfully smacked Umbreon with a large paw, and the Umbreon rolled over several times. Kelvin laughed as he watched the Pokemon at play. He didn't know that Sharla would be so quick to accept another Pokemon.

* * *

DarkFlameWarrior: Ah, boring chapter. Sorry. Kari is still in the lake, too. I can't find a way to make him more mobile until he evolves (yes, he will evolve. In like lots of chapters later). 


	15. The Green Egg

Ooh, thanks everyone for saying the last chapter wasn't boring! I was hoping you'd say that… anyway, thanks for the correction thingy about that stuff, green aura. I'm glad someone could straighten that out. Meanwhile, could you please pick up that cupcake, B.C. Company? I don't want to have it stain my carpet. That's assuming you threw the cupcake at me... and Kari will not battle a Dewgong in the lake, I have more interesting ideas in mind. But thanks for the suggestion.

Now, on with the story.

**MagiMagikarp!**

**Chapter Fifteen**

Kelvin had thought that Ravi would be going out after every meal to feed the Pokemon, but he was disappointed. Melissa went to feed them after lunch. Ravi sighed in relief.

"That's good. I haven't done this in months, I'm not that used to it anymore." Ravi plopped down on a couch. "You know that slide we slid down the mountain with? Once, when it was my turn, there was a huge Sandslash curled in a ball there. And of course, I slid right into it." Ravi chuckled. "I was almost afraid we'd hit one today. Fortunately, the Sandslash don't live around there anymore, we moved them to the other side of their habitat so we wouldn't have nasty incidents like that again."

Kelvin found himself a little amused at this story, and sat on the couch with Ravi, who had closed his eyes to rest a little. There wasn't much to do at the farm besides work with the Pokemon, it seemed.

"After a while," Ravi started, with his eyes still closed, "we're going down to the building that we went in earlier to work with the Pokemon there."

Sharla trotted into the room, followed closely by Gary's Umbreon. Sharla leapt onto the couch, settling next to Kelvin, and fixing a stare at Umbreon, as if daring him to jump on as well. The Umbreon wisely chose not to jump up on the couch, and simply sat on the floor, watching the three of them.

If Kelvin was thinking this part was dull, that surely wasn't his thoughts when they got to the building.

Ravi showed him around, after they entered through the place with all the Pokemon that had been fed. "This is actually the Visitor entrance," he said, indicating the large, impressive double doors. "It's a lot more conventional than having them come through the house. And this place looks cooler for a breeding center."

And so it did. There were loads of technological stuff there, including everything necessary to take care of a Pokemon Egg and its mother. There were several Eggs in incubators right now, the machines humming a little.

One of Ravi's siblings was also here. Kelvin didn't know which one it was.

In the corner, watching over the Eggs, was a Kadabra. Kelvin presumed it was the one Ravi had told him about, the one that didn't like the Gengar/Squirt team.

"Oh, by the way, Kelvin, if any visitors come by, I'd advise you to look like a visitor too. You don't want them pestering you with questions." Ravi didn't sound pleased with the thought of visitors, Kelvin noticed.

It wasn't long until Kelvin found out why.

The doorbell tolled, a "Squirtle Squirtle!" bell. Kelvin thought that was cool. Then the bell sounded again, and Ravi opened the door.

There was a group of trainers there. Ravi greeted them, his voice pleasant and conversational, but Kelvin could tell the smile on his face was forced, his attitude completely fake. As the visitors went in, Ravi shot a "I hate this" look at Kelvin before following them.

Taking Ravi's advice to look like a visitor, Kelvin bent low to observe a large shiny green egg. It appeared to be moving a little.

Ravi was explaining everything. Once he'd finished explaining, a trainer asked a question, and he answered, and another question popped up, and so on and so forth. Ravi managed to get them all looking at the same green egg Kelvin was by, and muttered to Kelvin, "I so hate this..."

Of course, the visitors began asking questions about the egg, which Ravi answered. Kelvin was sure he was the only one to hear the underlying tone of Ravi's pleasant voice, which was clearly saying, "GO AWAY! I don't want to be bothered by the likes of you!"

That seemed perfectly understandable, since Ravi probably had done this billions of times. Who really likes routine? And besides, the point of the breeding farm wasn't to attract visitors, it was to breed Pokemon.

One of the trainers then asked, "What kind of Egg is this?"

Ravi shrugged. "We're not sure yet. It was one that was given to us by a passerby who found it. From what we know of the coloring, it could be just about any Grass Pokemon."

Disappointed, the trainers moved to another Egg, which Ravi said was a Charmander Egg. There was also a Bulbasaur Egg and a Squirtle Egg. The babble of questions didn't stop until the trainers finally figured out that Ravi was actually getting annoyed.

Kelvin, rather amused by all this, turned to look back at the shiny green egg. For some reason, it appealed to him. The shade of color seemed to dominate his vision. He didn't know why, of course.

Then it started shaking even more. Harder. Kelvin, surprised, yelped as the Egg thumped against the glass casing of the incubator.

Ravi came over, and opened the glass, taking the Egg into his hands. "It's ready to hatch," he told Kelvin, trying to keep quiet so the trainers, now bugging Ravi's brother, wouldn't notice.

Fascinated, Kelvin watched as cracks appeared, spreading across the surface of the large egg like a fissure through the earth. Then little parts began coming off, and a scythe poked through. Ravi gasped.

"A Scyther egg!" he whispered, loudly.

Scyther? That cool Pokemon that Kelvin had always look at in his Pokedex?

Ravi set the Egg on the floor, so he wouldn't get hit by the scythes, even though the blades were still soft enough to be harmless. The baby Scyther freed itself from the Egg, and stood on the floor.

It was barely two feet high. The Egg had been about one foot in height, so obviously it had been curled inside the Egg. The Scyther made a little mewling noise, and Ravi cooed it.

"Ooh, little Scyther, how are you?" Ravi gently picked up the Scyther, and headed towards the next room. Kelvin followed him into the Pokemon-filled room, and watched as Ravi set the Scyther gently on a padding of soft hay.

"You stay here," Ravi told Kelvin. "If those trainers come, keep them away from the Scyther. I have to go tell the rest of the family." He raced off through the other set of doors, and towards the house.

Kelvin sighed, and looked at the baby Pokemon. It was eying him fiercely, and made a small swipe at him. The scythes were hardening, Kelvin noticed. The light was glinting off of them already. Kelvin knew that it would probably hurt if the baby Scyther hit him with one of them.

He didn't have time to worry about that, though. He had something else to worry about, because it was then the group of trainers decided to come out.

One of them spotted the baby Scyther immediately, and came bounding over. Kelvin hastily scooped the Scyther up before the trainer collided, ignoring the pain as the Scyther sliced at him. That only upset the trainer, who tried to get his hands on the Scyther.

Gengar then popped up between the two, freaking them all out, and seriously scaring the baby Scyther, who started wildly slicing. Gengar then turned around and used a little Hypnosis on the baby Pokemon, calming it.

Ravi came running back. "What happened?" he asked.

The trainer pointed at Kelvin. "He's trying to steal that Pokemon!"

Kelvin and Ravi looked at each other, and laughed. So did Gengar.

"I told him to protect the Scyther," Ravi explained, "from you guys, because I knew you would hurt the baby Pokemon, even if you didn't mean it." Then Ravi took the Scyther from Kelvin. "You ought to get some disinfectant on those cuts," he added, seeing the red slashes where the small scythes had cut through the skin.

Kelvin followed Ravi back into the house. "I wasn't going to move him," Ravi continued, "but seeing how he's nicely asleep, I'll put this one in the baby room. That's where we put the ones that don't have mothers looking out for them. I hope he doesn't start a fight. He should be fine, though. You only scared him."

The baby room was actually filled with baby Pokemon, all of them happily playing with toys and other things. Ravi set the Scyther on a small bed, and addressed all of the baby Pokemon.

"Here's your new playmate. Be careful with him, he might hurt you."

The baby Pokemon blinked at him, then went back to playing.

Ravi smiled, and exited. Once outside of the room, he sighed. "They never listen to me."

"How will the Scyther be?"

"He'll be fine. The baby Pokemon are all naïve and cute." Ravi headed downstairs. "I sure hope that dinner's soon. All this excitement has made me hungry."

Kelvin rather agreed.

* * *

DarkFlameWarrior: Okay, not much more action. I still hope that this one is okay. Kari wasn't mentioned _at all_! I feel so terrible... 


	16. Lithium City

Sorry for not updating sooner. School is finally catching up to me... I'm not getting straight A's the way I would like to, but at least I'm not flunking... Homework is the thing, and writer's block. Nothing too interesting at the moment...

I think I need to have people stop suggesting things, because you're always guessing the storyline. Okay, if I ask for ideas, tell me, but don't make spontaneous suggestions. Thanks for understanding.

Now, where were we?

Ah, yes. The baby Scyther. No, Kelvin is not going to beg Ravi for that Scyther. It's still too small to travel. But that doesn't mean it's out of the picture forever...

Don't ask. And don't suggest anything unless I ask. And don't bug me with email... I won't appreciate it.

**MagiMagikarp!  
**

**Chapter Sixteen**

Kelvin had snuck into the Baby Pokemon room during the morning, watching them at play. The little Scyther was particularly popular, for some reason. Probably because of those scythes.

At the moment, the little Scyther was beheading an awful-looking Machoke toy that looked like someone had tried to put lipstick on it. It even had eyelashes, and big, poofy lips. Kelvin thought that it almost deserved to be beheaded.

He was utterly fascinated by the baby Scyther.

Of course, he had to sneak out before Ravi found him here. Kelvin didn't think he was supposed to be here, disturbing the Baby Pokemon.

Unfortunately for him, Ravi caught him at the stairs, and Kelvin hurriedly admitted his whereabouts. Ravi didn't exactly seem to care, but _did_ tell Kelvin to tell him next time.

"The Scyther is beheading some Machoke toy," Kelvin told Ravi.

Ravi looked surprised, then pleased. "Oh, good. Gabrielle gave that to me."

They laughed, and laughed harder when Ravi wondered aloud what Gabrielle would think of the Machoke's untimely execution. Kelvin then wondered what Gabrielle would think of Scyther.

"I don't know," confessed Ravi. "She might think he's cute until she gets slashed."

They never had to find out, though. Gabrielle and her family left that morning, with Gabrielle still looking at Gary instead of Ravi. Kelvin thought this might be a good thing, since Ravi became himself a little more after Gabrielle's departure.

"Next time, I'll show the Machoke," Ravi said cheerfully. "And Scyther. He'll have grown a lot by then."

Kelvin rather agreed.

* * *

During the afternoon, after another routine feeding by Ravi and Kelvin (Kelvin had tried to help, and succeeded in dumping too much food into the lake. Kari had to help him clear it to one side, and tell the Water Pokemon that they didn't have to eat it all), Gary and Professor Oak left to go back to Pallet Town. Sharla had consented to a little observation, though she still hissed when the professor got to close. Meanwhile, Gary's Umbreon didn't seem too happy to be leaving.

Gengar had avoided observation by contriving to remain invisible. Professor Oak had decided next time to bring a Silph Scope so he could see Gengar. Ravi suggested using a Pokemon with Foresight instead. It was a lot easier. And Gengar wouldn't be able to steal it.

Ravi was also starting to bring up the topic of leaving the farm to continue the journey. Frankly, Kelvin wasn't wishing for his, but he understood that he couldn't remain at the farm forever. And he couldn't watch Scyther forever either...

Sharla had taken up wandering after Kelvin, now that the Umbreon had left. Oftentimes, Kelvin would turn, and nearly freak out because she was there, completely silent. Ravi would laugh, and the infectious sound would stir the laughter from Kelvin as well...

So far, the family was paying no attention to Ravi's not-so-subtle hints at leaving. Well, Kelvin thought this. Ravi rather thought his family was getting the idea.

"They were never happy with me leaving in the first place," he explained to Kelvin. "It's no surprise they won't like me leaving again."

And so, after a rather big breakfast that convinced Kelvin that Ravi's family knew they were leaving, they said their goodbyes to the family (Kelvin had recalled all his Pokemon into their Pokeballs again, but not before letting them say their farewells as well, and Kelvin had also rushed off to see the baby Scyther one last time), and the two of them set off on the road again.

Ravi had some weird technology in his hand that told them where they were. Apparently, it was a gift from Melissa so he would be safe. It also came with an email feature. Something called a PDA. Pokemon Digital Assistant. There were also some other things that weren't in a normal PDA, or so Ravi told him. Not that Kelvin would know.

"There's a navigation feature," he said, "and this is virtually unbreakable. Well, maybe if a Snorlax sleeps on it, it might break, but it's made of incredible stuff. Science is nice, at times."

Kelvin, of course, didn't exactly care. He sort of didn't _know_ what good this device might do them. It was nice to know where one was in the wide world, of course, but Kelvin had never gotten a knack for gadgetry.

The road was rather boring. Just loads and loads of green grass on both sides of a beaten dirt path. Ravi was walking quickly, though, and Kelvin had to run at times to keep up.

"Why are you going so fast?" Kelvin asked, after the third time he had to run to keep up.

Ravi paused, and turned back. "Look," he said, pointing back to where they had come.

Kelvin looked. There were dark clouds forming quickly in the sky. "Oh."

They didn't have to say anything after that, as neither of them wanted to be caught in the storm promised by those black clouds. Ravi kept on checking the PDA, while Kelvin, who couldn't tell what in the world all the lines were, simply kept up the pace.

But it seemed like today wasn't exactly their day, because the rain caught up with them quite soon. The two started running, Kelvin not sure how far they were. He kept slipping as the rain turned the dirt road into slippery mud, and his pants quickly turned brown. Ravi, however, seemed quite used to it, probably from working on the farm for so long.

"Why didn't we just stay at the breeding farm?" Kelvin yelled, as lightening split the air.

"I thought we could get to the next town sooner!" Ravi yelled back. "I didn't think that it would come this soon!"

The next few minutes were silent as they raced along the path. Then –

"There!" Ravi shouted, pointing into the distance as they came over a rise.

Kelvin would have sighed in relief, if he had the breath to. Instead, he just plowed ahead, running for the town.

About five minutes later, the two of them, completely soaked, arrived into the bright and very populated town. They were immediately pushed into the crowd, and with so many umbrellas already in the air, they didn't get much more rain on them.

Obviously, the first stop was the Pokemon Center. The automatic glass doors slid open, and a Chansey swept away the muddy tracks they left on the polished marble floor. A Blissey then ushered them into a "drying chamber".

"Interesting," Kelvin commented. "What is this? I've never seen one."

Ravi laughed. "Yeah, I know. Lithium City is well known for these things. It's the home of lots of Fire Pokemon, and they don't like the wet."

"Oh."

"The ironic thing is that the place Lithium City is located is a hotspot for those flash storms we just encountered," Ravi went on. "Actually, that might not be ironic. It might be _because _of those storms that his has become Lithium City, and Fire Pokemon are so revered. But in any case, I find it ironic."

Kelvin didn't know what to think, having seen both sides of the coin. Both seemed rather plausible to him...

"Wait... they don't like water?"

Ravi looked at him. "Yeah. That's why Squirt hates this place. Except I think that Squirt will love the Gym this time. I never took him there."

"What about Kari?"

"Kari will be fine. There isn't any running water around, though, so I think that Kari won't be able to get a good swim any time soon. But I think he had a fun enough time at home." Ravi sighed. "I promise, we'll get out of here as soon as we can."

"Okay."

They stepped out of the "drying chamber", and into the Pokemon Center, where they asked the Nurse Joy for a room. Two, actually, but it turned out there was only one left.

"I would think that it would be crowded. The rains sure aren't boding well, are they?" Ravi opened the door to the room. "Bunk beds, lots of room. A table, a rug... not exactly _that_ comfortable, huh? We should let out our Pokemon, though. They don't want to be cooped up in their Pokeballs. Though I've heard Pokeballs recreate a Pokemon's ideal habitat..."

Kelvin didn't exactly think that Pokeballs were so sophisticated, or at least didn't wish to think that they were so, and simply let out his Pokemon, except for Dustin, who probably would not fit in the small room. Sharla stretched on the ground, yawning, while Arielle alighted on the table. Aria folded her majestic wings, and stared at them all. Kari just... flopped. Kelvin hastened to pick him up.

Meanwhile, Squirt clambered onto the bunk and fell asleep. Magnemite hovered around, blinking its one eye. The Weepinbell sat on the floor, looking really, really sad, and Growlithe crouched down at Ravi's feet. The Magikarp flopped even more pathetically than Kari, and Ravi hastily recalled it. And Gengar was floating around the room, wearing a feral leer on his face.

_We're supposed to sleep in a room like this?_ Kelvin wondered, as Kari thumped against his chest. _It's still high noon, not even lunchtime yet_—

At this thought, his stomach grumbled, telling him it was indeed time to eat. Ravi laughed.

"If you're that hungry, then we should be off," Ravi commented, digging into his backpack and producing cans of Pokemon food. "I got re-stocked at home", Ravi added, as he poured out the food into different containers for the Pokemon to enjoy. "Don't steal from others, and have fun," he instructed the Pokemon. "Don't wreck the room".

Kelvin made sure they had the key with them, and then they headed to the main lobby to borrow an umbrella. Kelvin didn't think it would be necessary, but precautions never hurt, right?

As it was, the streets were a little less crowded, everyone eating in restaurants instead.

Ravi opted for one of the less impressive restaurants, and Kelvin followed, still remembering his first restaurant experience... and hoping this one would be different.

Thankfully, it was. The place was nice and sparkly, the waiters and waitresses nice, and the food, when it came, wasn't brown and was quite delicious.

"I like this place," Ravi told him. "It's good and cheap. Not like the expensive ones down the main street, this one is really the best."

Kelvin didn't answer, as he was eating some steak. He didn't want to think what the steak was made of, but it was good.

"This place also has imported food from other places... barbaric places without Pokemon." Ravi made a face. "But still, most of the food is from there, so don't worry about eating anything you'll regret later."

Ravi was sipping at some cloudy soup with bits of tofu in it. Meanwhile, a waiter came up and gave them the bill, which Ravi hastily snatched away before Kelvin could see it.

"How much?" he queried, after swallowing the bit of steak he was chewing.

Ravi glanced at it. "Not much. Less than I would have thought. Really cheap."

Kelvin, of course, had no idea what "really cheap" was.

After paying, the two headed out under the big umbrella, Kelvin feeling quite full. They headed for the PokeMart to restock on some supplies, and they also bought some Burn Heals, for the upcoming Gym battle. Ravi also got some weird things called Revives, which he explained could revive fainted Pokemon. Kelvin was interesting, having never seen one before.

"Okay, I suppose we should be getting back, huh?" Ravi peered out the window. "It seems to be clearing out a little."

Back at the Pokemon Center, Kelvin told all his Pokemon to get ready for the upcoming Gym battle. Sharla simply paced, and Arielle did not react favorably. Meanwhile, Ravi was waking up Squirt; the Squirtle had fallen asleep again.

* * *

DarkFlameWarrior: Aw, so lame. But a little longer than usual, that's good. The Gym battle might be interesting, but I'm seriously no good at writing battles, so don't expect much. 


	17. Problems

Well. I'm really behind, aren't I? When was the last time I updated? I'm so sorry! I mean, I could try and make up excuses, but I suppose that whatever it is, all of them run back to my laziness…

**MagiMagikarp! **

**Chapter 17**

Kelvin was thinking over his odds of winning as Ravi led the way to the Gym. The Gym used Fire Pokemon. He, Kelvin, had a Graveler that was very effective against Fire, a Fearow and an Absol that would have neither an advantage nor a disadvantage, a Butterfree which was weak to Fire, and a Magikarp he didn't intend to use. Ravi would probably wish to go first, having Squirt in his arsenal, so he would be able to scope out the Gym Leader's fighting style and hopefully figure out some useful strategy. Not that he counted on that. He still hadn't seen enough battles to make good strategies. The most he could expect was to know what might be coming up.

It didn't matter too much, he decided. If he lost, he might be able to think of a good winning strategy that way without having all the stress of being in the Gym already on him.

Ravi was cheerfully whistling as they walked down the beaten path to the Gym. It was bright red, with orange streaks and yellow lines. The area around it was sand, reddish sand, and there were false cacti along the path. A fake sun was the covering over a street lamp, and at the doors, there were two statues of Pokemon: a Charizard and a Moltres.

They had hardly approached the door when a young girl came around the corner. "Oh!" she exclaimed, turned around, and ran right back around the corner.

Kelvin looked to Ravi, who wore a look that told him he was just as baffled.

A few moments later, an elderly man came around, followed by many young children. "My goodness," he said. "It's true! Trainers here to challenge the Gym Leader!"

Ravi nodded eagerly, while Kelvin just kept his mouth shut. He wasn't too sure of what to expect. He never knew that young children would be in a Gym...

"Well, he's not here at the moment, so I have to take care of the children he's teaching," the old man continued. "Why don't you come on it and get yourselves comfortable? He may be a while."

The two of them followed the old man, as well as the gaggle of children, into the Gym, then off to a side room in which there were sofas, tables, and a TV as well as a healing machine for Pokemon inside their Pokeballs. It was by no means the _best_ way to heal Pokemon, as letting wounds heal naturally presented the best results, but when a Gym Leader was in need of a full team...

Well, things like these came in handy at times. Especially during emergencies.

Kelvin got himself settled down on a sofa, and was about to release his Pokemon when Ravi stopped him. "Wait. Don't let them out; it'll give the Gym Leader the advantage if he knows what Pokemon you have."

That was certainly a new perspective.

Admittedly, it was rather boring waiting. Kelvin had never watched TV much before, and Ravi was watching some weird show that he was attempting to explain to Kelvin. Of course, it didn't help.

Then, some hour past, a younger man came into the room. He looked like the old man, which was probably then his grandfather or father, and was probably the Gym Leader.

"Hello. I'm Elijah, the Gym Leader. It's nice to know that some trainers still wish to challenge me, but unfortunately, my Pokemon are all tired now, and have no wish to battle. I'm sorry." He really did look apologetic, so Kelvin didn't think he was faking it or anything.

"Why?" queried Ravi.

"We have some problems around our city. It's been a persistent problem for a while, and most trainers are reluctant to wait while my Pokemon heal before battling." Elijah shrugged. "I try to make them useful, and say I'll give them the badge if they help for the day, but lots of them want to battle _me_, and are coming back later."

_Later?_ Kelvin thought. _He must be really busy if he can't even do his job!_

Ravi didn't seem too pleased with this concept either; evidently, he was eager to use Squirt in battle. And Kelvin was willing to bet the turtle Pokemon was anticipating the battle too. However, they didn't exactly have too much of a choice if the Gym Leader was unable to battle. The official rules of combat only went so far, and denying battles were certainly within the Gym Leader's powers. Not that they normally did; it was their job, after all.

"Meanwhile, I would extend the same to you, but seeing how most trainers dislike this, I am not sure if you would accept it."

Kelvin, who was more than willing, held his response. He had no experience in these matters.

"Would it still be official?" he ventured. Ravi glanced at him, a look telling him to shut up. Well, actually, just gave him a little disapproving glance. It _seemed_ like a glare.

"It would be. After all, a badge is to be earned, in whatever fashion the Gym Leader says."

Ravi shook his head. "I think I'll come back later."

Kelvin, though expecting that Ravi would want to battle, didn't expect him to be so _negative_ about it. It certainly was _not_ like him. Ravi wasn't even willing to help someone?

"Why?" he blurted, before he could help himself. "Why come back later when we can just help them?"

Ravi gave him another _look_. "What's the point?"

Utterly confused, Kelvin contrived to remain silent.

* * *

The two of them departed Lithium Town the following day, Kelvin still dumbfounded at the past events. Ravi was leading again, quickly striding, while Kelvin was still thinking over the past day.

He was roused from his thoughts from the sounds of battle. Ravi cursed, which Kelvin had never heard him do before, and grabbed Kelvin by the color, dragging him behind a tree. "Stay down; things can get ugly," Ravi whispered. "Watch."

There were Pokemon fighting. Water and Fire Pokemon were battling, and Kelvin saw the trainers shouting, the Pokemon raging. Confused at this, he looked to Ravi, who explained.

"For decades now, these two cities, Lithium and Vandium have been fighting over some little thing, no one remembers what it is. Thing is, they are opposite sorts of cities. Vandium is in the middle of the small desert, where Water Pokemon are revered. Sort of like Phenac City. Meanwhile, Lithium values Fire Pokemon. It's interesting that the two are in such close proximity, no less than5 miles apart. The inhabitants of Vandium appear to have come and attacked, which is why Elijah can't battle; he's busy battling _them_." Ravi's tone was scornful. "This is why I didn't want to help. It's not a good idea to get caught up in this kind of stuff. Better to let them have it out between them." A pause. "Sorry if I was being a little mean..."

Kelvin nodded, finally understanding. "It's okay. I just didn't get it."

"Well, we'd better get out of here." The two of them snooped around the scant covering of trees, until they had left the battlefield far behind. Ravi stopped them after they had entered a dense clump of trees.

"I have no idea where we are," he admitted, and pulled out his PDA. The gadget emitted some noises, obviously screening in on where they were. After a few seconds, Ravi closed the PDA.

"No good," he announced. "We're right in between Vandium and Lithium. Well, not exactly in the middle, but we ought to get out of here before we get dragged into this little war. Thing is, we'll probably get pooled onto the Vandium side because we have more Water Pokemon than Fire."

"What other city is there?" Kelvin queried, not wishing to get caught up in a war between to cities.

Ravi shrugged. "It's past Vandium. We'll have to go past there to get to the next one."

Obviously it was not a good situation, but there wasn't much else they could do if they didn't want to get dragged into the war. Kelvin could think of ways they could easily dissuade citizens of either city from forcing them into this war, but what they were really worried about was getting caught in the crossfire, not getting hedged onto one side.

With no choice but to head for the Water City, the two of them quickly set off again. Kelvin wondered how long it would take, and if they would make it there before nightfall.

They stopped once to have lunch, then started again. Ravi barely said anything, often taking out the PDA to check their course. Kelvin tried to think of better things than to be caught in the middle of a feud between two cities.

Kelvin never knew relief as profound as when he saw the lights of Vandium, but he felt fear too, especially when he saw the trainers loitering around the entrance. They demanded their business, and Ravi answered with a blunt, "We're trainers," and a glare, before shoving through.

"We won't stay here long, just for the night," Ravi muttered to Kelvin under his breath, "but it's best to remain inconspicuous, and whatever you do, don't release any of your Pokemon." Kelvin nodded, and they headed for the Pokemon Center, which seemed to be the only place with a sane person, namely Nurse Joy.

* * *

A/N: Yes, it's not going on very while. I had an author's block because I realized that I am going _way_ off track of what this story was originally supposed to be. Don't be surprised if some shocking things happen in the next few chapters (which, by the way, might be long in coming, feel free to yell at me if it's been a really long time). 


	18. A note from the author

**Author's Note:**

Hey everyone. I know I've been dormant for what, four years now? I'm actually here because Lady Silver-kun threatened to beat me to a pulp if I didn't update. :(

But also because I have something to say. While this fic was fun to write, I didn't really know where I was going with it, and so it seemed to really have no purpose. Sadly, this contributed to a lack of wanting to update, which I'm sure saddened many of you. I'm sure.

HOWEVER, I have decided that re-writing this fic will be the focus of my NaNoWriMo this year (Google that if you don't know what it is). I'll try to stay to the story so far, and keep my wonderful cute characters, but I need your input, so go to my profile and vote in the poll! ^^

Lastly, I'd like to thank everyone that ever read this crazy story. I hope I don't disappoint when I come out with version two. If you have any suggestions, feel free to leave them. Flames will be fed to Gabrielle.

~DFW-chan


End file.
